FINE GAEL PERSIST IN RELYING ON PRIVATE SECTOR RATHER THAN BUILDING HOMES ON PUBLIC LAND

Labour Party Housing spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan has criticised the FG/Independent Government for persisting in pouring more and more money into the pockets of private landlords rather than ramping up construction of social and affordable homes on publicly owned land.

“The figures for housing delivery published by Minister Murphy last night reveal that 69% of the homes delivered came through the Housing Assistance Payment.  This pours money straight into the pockets of private landlords.  It is not sustainable and it is not good value for money. 

“The solution is staring them in the face but they don’t seem to have the political will to implement it: the state owns enough land that is zoned for housing to build enough social and affordable homes to solve the problem.  Labour has proposed and costed the building of 80,000 such homes over 5 years at a cost of €16 billion and we have identified where that money would come from.

“With a recovered economy, the growing dependence on HAP is plainly the wrong policy.  The “going in the right direction” argument just doesn’t stand up.”