Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for bringing this Bill forward at this critical time. The Green Party has long championed and campaigned for affordable sustainable housing solutions, especially now in this housing crisis. I look forward to engaging with the Minister on the Bill to try to strengthen it for tenants and homeowners.

The Bill offers a great opportunity and gateway to introduce new housing models to the State, such as community-led housing, a ground-up approach that enables people to pool their assets and resources to create homes and communities which meet their particular needs in a sustainable manner. There is significant evidence and many examples of the benefits of this model across Europe in terms of long-term affordability and addressing loneliness, social cohesion and environmental sustainability. I visited such a complex in Berlin where costs of homes are 30% lower. I hope to submit clear recommendations on the Bill for policy development in line with international best practice, and I hope the Minister will consider this model as part of the Bill.

Another sustainable housing model which is centred on affordability and is part of the Bill is cost rental, which is Green Party housing policy. It is one we have pushed, and will continue to push for, as part of the Government's response to the affordability crisis. We believe cost rental built en masse, with approximately 10,000 units annually for ten years, can make the rental market affordable. My colleagues and I will continue to work with the Minister and his Department to ensure that cost rental remains permanently affordable and is a State-led housing model. We must ensure that cost-rental units remain cost rental in perpetuity and that rents do not increase but, in fact, decrease after the cost calculation period ends. We must cap the equity returns at 3.5% and, importantly, ensure tenants are protected by offering tenancies of indefinite tenure.

Finally, the Bill offers a good opportunity to level the playing pitch for first-time buyers and to ensure they are not outbid by pension funds. The Green Party will bring forward an amendment to ensure that 30% of units in apartment developments are reserved for first-time buyers. I look forward to engaging with the Minister on those amendments.

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