Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

For clarity, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, said in the Dáil on 19 May that multiple purchases of property are undertaken by bodies specifically for the purpose of providing social and affordable housing and it is not intended to apply the higher stamp duty rate to those instances. I do not disagree with the Deputy on her underlying point. We need to change the approach. The massive ramping up of the investment we are about to make in social housing is not best provided if it is done in an arrangement whereby we have a 25-year lease with ownership not being transferred at the end. My expectation is that we will see a change in direction in that regard in the housing for all strategy. It will not be a complete switch because there will be certain instances, a very small number such as the type of instance I mentioned earlier, where leasing arrangements may have a role, but it cannot provide a substantial part in the meeting of social or affordable housing targets on which we all agree and which have to be delivered. There will be a change. The new housing for all strategy is imminent. Within that, there will be a variety of different measures to see an overall change in housing policy.

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