Government does not oppose Sinn Féin amendment for affordable housing

The amendment would remove an exemption to the 20% social and affordable housing provision

Eoin Ó'Broin TD Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing.

The Government has not opposed a Sinn Féin amendment which ends an exemption for developers whose plans don't include building social or affordable housing.

The bill, tabled by Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó'Broin, amends the Planning and Development Act 2000, removing the exemption for developers who secure planning permission before 2026 to provide 20% of their land or houses for social and affordable housing.

Mr Ó'Broin noted a recent Business Post story which revealed through Freedom of Information that minister Darragh O'Brien had been lobbied heavily by developers to include the sunset clause in his Affordable Housing Bill, and the rushed manner it was added to the bill, without time for the Oireachtas to debate the policy.

"He promised he would increase the provision in Part V of the Planning and Development Act to ensure all new housing developments would deliver not only the 10% social housing that is currently required to be provided under law, but also another 10% for much needed affordable housing, be that rental or purchase," Mr Ó'Broin said.

"However, when one reads the fine print of what the minster has actually done, he has done nothing of the sort."

Mr Ó'Broin said Mr O'Brien had "done it again" and handed a "sweetheart deal to developers."

His colleague Maurice Quinlivan told the Dáil there are only 13 properties available for rent in Limerick City - 4 of which are renting for more than €3,000 per month and Limerick has 5,891 people on the Housing Waiting List.

"At a time when people are struggling to gain mortgage approval while paying high rents," he said.

"Currently, we have a waiver to the inclusion of 20% social and affordable housing. This is fundamentally wrong and must be stopped."

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said: "It remains the case when corporate lobbyists say: Jump' the government says: 'How high?'

"What we have is what can only be described as a sweetheart deal, and there could be estates built in the 2030s which are still exempt from providing 20% social housing."

Minister O'Brien did not attend the debate on Tuesday night and the government was represented by minister of State for Housing Peter Burke, who rejected allegations of lobbying.

"It's important to clarify that this is not the outcome of some sweetheart deal between Government and the construction industry," he said.

"Nothing can be further from the truth," adding that the newspaper article's allegations are "absolutely incorrect."

"The submissions on the Housing for All, were in fact received after Government had already agreed the content, including the transitional provisions, and therefore could not have had any impact on the decision of the minister."

Mr Burke said the increased percentage from 10% to 20% of social and affordable housing "could have a knock-on effect on prices for the buyers of these homes with the price of homes rising rapidly."

"The Government was rightly careful to weigh all of the tax ramifications of increasing the percentage, the advice of the Housing Agency and the various options put forward and respective potential transitional provisions was submitted to the minister and the department officials also supported the need for transitional provisions," he said.

"However, the government understands the bill is very well-intentioned, and we do want to see more affordable housing delivered. So we're not going to oppose this legislation."

The amendment will now move to committee stage.