Rethink on affordable housing needed
- State policy must act to lower prices, not drive housing costs
- Policies must be targeted at those who need it most
- Greater Scaling Up of Cost Rental Needed
Speaking after scrutiny of the Affordable Housing scheme at the Oireachtas Housing Committee, Labour spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan has called on the Minister to clarify what further control measures will be put in place to ensure that the UK experience of people using the shared equity scheme isn’t replicated in Ireland.
Senator Moynihan said: “government members of the committee seem to be relying on selective figures from the UK to boost their argument about an increase in supply, while attacking the ESRI who presented a balanced analysis of the likely impact of the shared equity scheme”
“The Affordable Housing Bill in general is welcome but we have independent analysis from the ESRI that without significant increase in supply the shared equity part of the scheme is likely to lead to an increase in prices overall”
“The latest idea from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for shared equity in so called affordable housing will likely, drive up prices for everyone, ultimately benefiting landowners and developers. We’ve already seen the evidence that Help to Buy is leading to increased prices while helping people who already could afford to buy”
“The housing problem can be solved, but any attempt to do so must be rooted in evidence and fact. We can build an Ireland where every child grows up in decent housing in a good neighbourhood, but only if we invest in practical policies to deliver solutions like affordable housing that is actually within working families reach.”