I move amendment No. 69: In page 35, to delete lines 11 to 13 and substitute the following: “(1) In setting, at any particular time, the rent under a cost rental tenancy, a rent shall not be provided for that is greater than— (a) the cost rental rent for that dwelling specified in subsection (4), or (b) 30 per cent of the figure published by the Central Statistics Office as average net income in respect of the previous year, whichever is the lower.”. This is in a similar vein to some other amendments, particularly …

I just want to address something. I think we have just had it explained to us that cost rental is based on cost, which is the cost of managing and maintaining the housing, and a sinking fund for it. However, you can also cross-subsidise according to income. If I am not mistaken, since the Government is not accepting the amendments on limited profits, cost rental is now being defined in the Bill as cost over 40 years plus profits. As I said previously, there is nothing to stop ethical investors coming in, building h…

The Labour Party has been wholeheartedly in favour of a constitutional right to housing, along with other socioeconomic rights, for a number of years. Driving socioeconomic rights, including the right to a home in the Constitution, would make a difference to people but it would not solve all of the problems. It would not end the housing crisis overnight and it would not be a silver bullet. However, it can make a significant difference. Introducing a constitutional right to housing is a policy direction for the Gove…

Senator Craughwell is next. Does Senator Keogan want to come in until the Senator comes back?

If Senator Craughwell comes back, I will-----

That is no problem. I call on Senator Paddy Burke.

I move amendment No. 18: In page 9, to delete lines 4 to 6. This is one of a series of amendments which essentially argue that public housing should be developed on public land without public private partnerships. We spoke to this amendment as part of the debate on Friday. Its purpose is to orientate the Bill towards safe provision of housing on public land and exclude public private partnerships that require houses to be sold at market cost, which is out of the reach of many thousands of people in this country.

I will speak in favour of these amendments. They get to the crux of the issue about what the Affordable Housing Bill lacks, which is the definition of "affordability" as linked to income. Throughout the Bill, reference is made to affordability being below market value. As Senator Boyhan has said, if a person is living in a place such as Dún Laoghaire and is earning a median wage of €40,000 or €50,000, below market value is not going to get that person one of the affordable units. I have tabled a number of amendment…

What time is the debate going on until?

That makes sense.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, to delete lines 28 to 33 and substitute the following: “(3) Where regulations under this Act are proposed to be made, a draft of the regulations shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the regulations shall not be made until a resolution approving the draft has been passed by each such House.”. The amendment is fairly self-explanatory. It is that the regulations that will back up the parts of the Affordable Housing Bill 2021 will be laid before the Oireachtas and tha…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 6, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: "Housing policy: paramount concern 4. Subject to its obligations in relation to the provision of social housing, in the performance of all relevant functions under— (a) the Housing Acts 1966 to 2021, and (b) the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2020, the paramount concern of a local authority shall be to secure as best it may that an adequate supply of housing is available for purchase by persons with average annual earnings w…

I do.

I support this amendment. Again, it goes to the heart of the problem. The skeleton of the Bill is that affordability is not actually affordability. It is below market value. Market value can mean anything. Senator Warfield spoke about a house in Inchicore. Another house in Inchicore was on the market for €475,000. I think the bidding is now up around €670,000 and is still going. I wish to address what Senator Fitzpatrick said about the Labour Party abolishing affordable housing. The Labour Party came into governmen…

I am not supporting this amendment because a properly structured and financed LDA could be a game changer in the delivery of public housing on public land in this State. Fundamentally, I am not happy with how the LDA is structured. I hear much talk about the need to use all facets of the State's capabilities. However, what we have done over the past 30 years in particular has resulted in the State pulling back from the delivery of housing. If the LDA is allowed to provide public housing on public land, and only aff…

As I said, I was rambling at that stage. I made my points clear.

I support the amendment. It is worth bearing in mind that the private market has a role in solving the housing crisis. That relates to the many land banks that individual speculators, developers and landowners own themselves. What the amendment relates to is public land banks and public development. I live in a house beside one of the public private partnerships that succeeded in the noughties. Three PPPs in my area fell apart when the construction industry collapsed. Even in the one that was delivered in Fatima Ma…

I wish to raise the issue of the outdoor summer in Dublin. We have been told this year - we should have been told at Christmas - that socialising outdoors is the thing to do. Unfortunately, our capital city is not equipped for that and Dublin City Council seems to be slowing down compared with other local authorities, for example, Dún Laoghaire, in making provision for an outdoor summer. Until recently, only six public toilets were available in the city. Some public buildings have been opened so that their toilets …

I wish to raise the issue of people's outrage at investment funds buying up whole housing estates and that of investor-led housing, which I have raised previously, and investor-led planning. I am concerned, as I hear this issue being discussed, that no consideration is being given to city and apartment living and the right of people to be able to buy or live in affordable rental apartments. I will give two examples in my area of the impact that has had. A few years ago NAMA had within its grasp the Player Wills bui…

This is very important legislation. It is a tool for the State to address our severe housing crisis. I had high hopes for the Bill and initially reserved judgment because I thought it was important that we get it right. Unfortunately, following the pre-legislative scrutiny and the debates since it was published, I am more wary. I will begin with the positive elements of the Bill. I welcome the provision of affordable housing on public land but, as with everything else, whether the housing will be affordable is open…