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

I also wanted to make the more general point about social housing. The Minister said we will align the Bill on affordable housing with the LDA Bill and so on, that there will be a series of amendments to that effect. Will he clarify what "social housing" is? I refer to the eligibility criteria and particularly the income thresholds and what the Minister envisages. There is a problem in respect of the cohort of people who are eligible for social housing, for Part V and whatever proportion of LDA developments shall be social housing as against, for example, cost rental or affordable purchase. My fear and suspicion, given that the income thresholds have not risen for a decade, is that there is a concerted policy to make fewer and fewer people eligible for social housing and that consequently, the proportion of LDA developments that will be social housing will become smaller and smaller. Cost rental, which is essentially a higher rent of social housing will slowly but surely substitute for traditional social housing with a differential rent scheme. If we are to fully understand the potential implications of the LDA, we need to know who the Government envisages as being eligible for social housing in the future as against, for example, cost rental. It is a bit difficult for us to understand terms like "affordable" if we do not know the income cohort which the Government envisages will be eligible, compared with social housing. Otherwise we do not know what "social housing" means or who it will be for. I would like that clarified.

With amendment No. 200, we are simply trying to prevent any transfer to anyone other than the local authority or approved housing bodies. We believe, as has been well rehearsed in this debate, that this would ensure the transfer and completion of ownership of the planning authority or to persons nominated by the planning authority and nobody else, that is, no disposal to any other interests.