Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To make this Bill fit for purpose with regard to helping the young people of Ireland in particular to get a personal family home, either to purchase on an affordable basis or to rent, perhaps via a local authority, we need to change the definition and purposes of the Bill. The purposes of the Bill as described are to enable developers seeking to provide and build viable residential development projects. Residential development means a development solely or primarily for residential purposes. There is nothing about social or affordable housing. That means that we will not focus on the people who really need help, including nurses, teachers, gardaí and soldiers. When the Taoiseach was celebrating our contribution to the UN with regard to peacekeeping, did he know that soldiers cannot afford to buy a modest house unless they are living in a part of Ireland with very cheap housing?

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