Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

Who can now apply for affordable housing? Some weeks ago, the affordable homes partnership advertised 500 housing units which it bought on the open market, being offered to buyers now as so-called affordable homes. The minimum income which must be earned to apply for any of those 500 houses is €45,000.

I looked up the salary scales for teachers, nurses and gardaí, and a person would have to be a member of any of those professions for many years before he or she would get an annual income of €45,000. That income stipulation also rules out bus drivers, many journalists and other people who should be key members of our community but are no longer able to afford a so-called affordable house. The issue is a bit of a joke.

This brings me back to the overall issue. There is another scandal, I believe, in that the affordable homes partnership has asked developers to submit proposals for unzoned land in order for it to get the land rezoned in return for so-called affordable housing. Developers can buy cheap high-amenity lands, have them rezoned and make many hundreds of millions of euro on their investments, which is a scandal. We must examine the issue of affordable housing.