The Private Members Motion will be discussed at 12.30pm on 03 October, coinciding with the ICTU led 'Raise the Roof: Homes for All' rally taking place outside the Dáil at the same time.
The motion contains four specific demands, calling on the Government to;
• Declare the housing and homeless crisis an emergency
• Dramatically increase the supply of social and affordable (including cost rental) housing by increasing capital spending on housing to €2.3bn in budget 2019; increase Part V requirements to 20% in standard developments & 30% in Strategic Development Zones; prioritise the delivery of public housing on public land; and aggressively target the return of vacant houses to active use
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• Reduce the flow of adults and children into homelessness with emergency legislation to make it illegal for landlords, banks and investment funds to evict tenants and homeowners in mortgage distress into homelessness; provide real security of tenure and real rent certainty by linking rent reviews to an index such as the CPI and introducing measures to reduced the cost of rent; introduce a target for ending long term homelessness and the need to sleep rough
• Hold a referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution.
Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin TD, said his party supports the motion.
"Today we launched a cross party Dáil motion on the housing and homelessness crisis signed by Sinn Féin, Labour, People Before Profit, Solidarity, The Social Democrats, The Green Party, Independents for Change and Independent members of the Oireachtas.
"The Dáil debate will take place after the rally outside Leinster House which has been called by ICTU and is supported by the Union of Students in Ireland, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the National Housing & Homeless Coalition and Fr Peter Mc Verry. It is also supported by Focus Ireland, Simon Communities of Ireland and a range of other advocacy and campaign groups.
"I am calling on all opposition TDs including Fianna Fáil, who want budget 2019 to be a housing Budget. Failure to do so shows that such calls from the party are insincere."
(LM/CM)
