Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In terms of this amendment it is important we do not confuse ourselves, or anyone watching, as to what is being proposed. The Member from Sinn Féin has spoken and articulated the challenge facing working people in this city in trying to buy their own home. It is a terrible reality and one which this Government is legislating to change. The primary objective of the legislation, as Members know, is to have the State take the lead in the provision of affordable housing and enable local authorities and approved housing bodies to delivery affordable homes, both to purchase and to rent.

However, we recognise the reality that when the Labour Party was in government, it abolished affordable housing under Part 5. We recognise there is no affordable housing being delivered in this country and we also recognise the trap people on medium incomes are in in terms of being able to buy a home. We recognise €450,000 is an unaffordable price for a modest home in our capital city. That is why we are changing the law. That is why we are legislating, so the State will take the lead in providing affordable homes - really affordable homes - similar to the affordable homes we saw in Dublin this week starting at approximately €170,000.

That is our objective but we must live in the real world. We have to live with the reality of today and there are people in this city paying substantially more for rent than they would on a mortgage. I was talking to somebody yesterday who is homeless and will be paying, and we will be paying through HAP, €2,000 per month for a two-bedroom, modest apartment in the city. A mortgage would be €1,100.We need this legislation to progress. However, if we remove the private dwellings from this legislation, the State will not be able to financially support people like Senator Warfield's friends, who could avail of the shared equity scheme and financial support from the State. That is what we will be doing. If we remove private dwellings from this, we will saying to the Senator's friends that the State will not help them financially to help them to secure their own home to reduce their cost of living, reduce the amount they are spending on rent and enable them to be able to afford a mortgage and a home for life. On that basis, we do not support this amendment.