3rd September  2004

PRESS RELEASE

Ahern should consider his position following abysmal ‘affordable housing’ figures

The Green Party has called on Junior Minister Noel Ahern to seriously consider his position following the Government’s spectacular failure to provide social and affordable housing.

Green Party Planning spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said today, “As these new figures show, the Government has spectacularly failed to meet its promise to tackle social and affordable housing.   Under Sustaining Progress the Government promised to build an extra 10,000 houses on state provided land. However to date not one house has been built nor has planning permission been applied for. In 2000 the Government introduced a Planning and Development Act that promised to provide social and affordable housing yet two years later,  under pressure from builders and developers, they watered down that commitment.   It is now clear that the Government's pledge to tackle social housing is nothing more than PR spin.”

Mr. Cuffe said that the Green Party believes that effective Government intervention in the housing market has not occurred because the main political parties, which have been in power for the last decade, receive substantial funding from the powerful development and construction lobby.  “Builders and developers continue to reap enormous profits yet once again this Government appears to have no real interest in providing social and affordable housing to the least well off who urgently require it.”

Earlier this year the Green Party launched proposals to tackle the housing crisis which include enshrining housing as a basic right in law,  establishing a National Housing Authority,  restoring the Part V provisions for social housing back into the Planning and Development Act 2000,  providing 10,000 social housing units per year until waiting lists are cleared, giving Local Authorities the right to compulsorily purchase development land prior to rezoning and reducing stamp duty on all house purchases.

ENDS