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

I attended a meeting this morning in the Mansion House at which trade unions, political parties and housing NGOs gathered to express their frustration at the failure of Government policies to live up to the programme for Government commitments to provide affordable, quality and accessible housing for all as a priority and to work with others with good ideas. The gathering, which included some of the leading NGOs, some of the biggest trade unions and many of the political parties announced a major national demonstration on 7 April to try to pressure the Government to abandon failed policies of relying on the private sector. What I and everyone at that meeting wants to know is when will the Government deliver on its commitment in the programme for Government to work with others. People across the spectrum of groups working with housing have consistently said that the policy of relying on the private market, which the Government is depending on, is not working. CSO figures today show an 86% increase in property prices accompanied by an 80% rise in rents.

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