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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 16 Oct 2003

Vol. 572 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Social and Affordable Housing Programmes.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Ceist:

67 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the measures the Government has taken to comply with its economic commitments to the right to housing contained in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and the reason, with specific reference to housing, the Government has not accepted the provisions of Article 31 of the Revised European Social Charter 1996 which came into force in 1999. [23540/03]

Ireland's ratification of the Council of Europe's revised Social Charter did not include the provision on a right to housing. The inclusion of Article 31 in our ratification was withheld, pending clarification as to whether the article seeks to confer a legal right to housing which would be justiciable in Irish courts.

The legislation governing social housing in Ireland is the Housing Acts 1966-2002. While the legislation does not confer any statutory right to housing, the range and extent of measures implemented under the Housing Acts demonstrates the State's long standing commitment to ensuring that housing needs, especially social housing needs are adequately addressed.

The National Economic and Social Council examined the broad issue of social and economic rights in their November 2002 report An Investment in Quality: Services, Inclusion and Enterprise. They emphasised the complex philosophical, political, legal and practical issues involved in the identification, creation, legislation and vindication of rights, especially social and economic rights. Accordingly, in Sustaining Progress, particular emphasis is placed on ensuring that standards of public services are identified, monitored and achieved. This requires further substantive improvements in the delivery of quality public services, including housing, and also requires a renewed focus on setting and achieving standards for the delivery of such services and monitoring progress.

The Government considers that the most appropriate way of addressing housing needs is to continue the various programmes and fiscal incentives currently in place, to secure the necessary level of funding to support them, to review their operation on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are meeting their objectives and to put in place new programmes or measures as required.

Question No. 68 answered with Question No. 32.

Question No. 69 answered with Question No. 34.

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