Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all want to get to the same place.I am concerned there could be a distinction drawn between affordable housing versus other housing. Affordable housing is housing for families and there should be no distinction between affordable, social, or other types of tenures, such as cost-rental. It is housing for people. If we include specific defined additional measures in an affordable housing Bill – while that is not the Senator’s intent – it would draw a distinction between this type of housing versus another. That will not and should not be the case. I know that is not something Senator Higgins would want but it could potentially be an unintended consequence of what she is endeavouring to do.

I refer to the definition within the amendment. Anything that is put into primary legislation, the words and phrases, must mean something and be defined, particularly in terms of planning because this is a planning matter. The Senator’s amendment refers to “intergenerationally accessible public spaces.” Tying that in with my point, what does that look like and what is its definition? All those things come up. I understand what the Senator is saying. I have a further concern based on her additional contribution that, unintentionally, we would be separating out and putting additional distinctions on affordable housing, above and beyond what should be there. There should be no difference, and there will be no difference, between affordable, social and other types of housing. To reiterate, I cannot accept the amendment - I say that respectfully - and I will not be accepting it.