Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We proposed an amendment to the Planning and Development Bill that would increase the amount of social and affordable housing we get from developments. Currently, as the Taoiseach is aware, we get 10%, or more recently, we may get 10% affordable housing. That means 80% of what is being built is unaffordable. We proposed, like other places such as Austria, that we would increase it to 50% or 60%. What is the point in having lots of unaffordable housing? Why do we not get a bigger proportion? Interestingly, when I asked the Minister this - and he rejected our amendment - he said there would be constitutional restrictions on increasing the amount of social and affordable housing. Are we going to do something about that? The Government promised we would have a referendum on housing and we have heard time and time again the Government cite the current constitutional situation as a block to introducing better rent controls and now as a block to potentially increasing the amount of social and affordable housing we get. The Government promised the referendum. Will it give it to us or will it tell the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, he is wrong and accept our amendment looking to increase the amount of social and affordable housing we get from development in this country?

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