Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Housing for All - as far as residents in Ringsend and Irishtown are concerned, there is only housing for the very wealthy and the vulture funds. The vast majority of homes on the Irish Glass Bottle site will not be for working families from Pearse Street and Ringsend. A deal was done with the Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group seven years ago for social and affordable homes but there is little or no clarity. There are to be 3,800 homes on this site yet only 350 will be social housing. Although 550 will be affordable, we still do not know what affordable will be. There is a real fear that blocks of homes on the Irish Glass Bottle site will be bought by vulture funds. The vast majority of working families are locked out of buying their own homes because of the huge prices facing them. The Government has given massive relief to the developers by telling them they do not have to pay development levies. That is a nice little windfall for them courtesy of the Government. Why did the Government not use this income to make the homes on the Irish Glass Bottle site more affordable? The informed speculation is that the cost of a one-bed on the Irish Glass Bottle site will be €400,000. How is that affordable?

Housing for All should be renamed "housing for the wealthy and affluent". Housing for All excludes those who are living in inner-city flats. They do not count, and the Government is happy to let them live in accommodation that is neglected, that has rats, leaks, mould and dampness. Regeneration of the flat complexes is going at a snail's pace. There is no urgency while so many flats need regeneration, for example, in Rathmines. All the flat complexes are in serious need of regeneration. If you are not wealthy or you happen to be living in social housing, Housing for All is not for you.

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