Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the broad thrust of the amendment. The caveat "Subject to its obligations in relation to the provision of social housing" is important because public land has a role in making affordable housing available for purchase. Also, public land has a really important role in the provision of public housing to people of all income categories. For example, publicly-owned public housing that might be cost-rental and remains in public ownership over a lifetime is another paramount concern that sits alongside what is suggested by the amendment.

The core point of the amendment is the idea to not focus on the homes but on their affordability and on the people who need to be able to buy them. It is important that we are very clear not just around the price tag on the house moving along with the market but about the experience of persons who wish to purchase and that it is literally affordable to them. That is the nature of affordability. It is not sellability but affordability.

I hope that this amendment is successful. I reserve the right to table a similar amendment to build on it on Report Stage because we need to examine not just the average income but the median income as, sadly, the median income in Ireland is very much lower than the average income. I do not have the figures for this year but a few years ago we had a median income of less than €30,000, so more than 50% of people working in the State had an income of less than €30,000. We need to be really careful to think about affordability that works for people and for the majority of people across the country.