Labour is urging the government to set up a National Affordable Housing scheme in Ireland to give certainty to local Councils that they can go ahead and facilitate schemes in their communities.

The party's spokesperson on Affordable Housing, Joanna Tuffy, has also called on the government to have explicit requirements for affordable housing in any future Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) Orders.

Ms Tuffy said: "Thousands of houses will be built in the next decade on lands that are designated SDZs and it is vital that local families are not priced out of the market for those houses.

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"While some councillors have been proactive in inserting affordable housing requirements into draft SDZ Planning Schemes it would strengthen the hand of local Councils to require affordable housing if the orders designating lands as Strategic Development Zones contained explicit references to the need for affordable housing.

"The Minister should also urgently introduce a National Affordable Housing Scheme. County Managers have been telling councillors that they can’t have affordable housing schemes without a National Affordable Housing Scheme being in place.

"The Minister has stated that there are going to be affordable housing schemes in conjunction with local authorities but to date there has been nothing concrete."

(CD)