Republican News · Thursday 17 July 2003

Auctioneers and Valuers show no social responsibility

Sinn Féin Dáil spokesperson on Housing, Arthur Morgan, has accused the Auctioneers and Valuers Institute (IAVI) of having no sense of social responsibility.

He was speaking on Tuesday following a presentation to the All-Party Committee on the Constitution by the IAVI). Arthur Morgan, who is on the committee, said the IAVI submission attacked the introduction of social and affordable housing and argues in favour of the liberalisation of property markets.

"This organisation used its presentation to the Committee to promote the interests of international investors over and above the interests of ordinary people who can longer afford to buy a house or pay rents in the private rented sector," he said. "The public should be aware that the IAVI is promoting the interest of wealthy property owners and has argued that individual landowners and speculators should not, in the interest of disadvantaged members of the community, be deprived of any of the inflated market price which they get for the land which they have hoarded.

Morgan added that ordinary citizens who find themselves at the mercy of speculators would be shocked at the IAVI's attitude. "It could be argued that the IAVI is very much driven by the grossly excessive profits which their members have been making from rising house prices," he said.

Sinn Féin made an oral presentation of the Party's submission on Property Rights to the Joint Committee on the Constitution in Leinster House on Wednesday morning. The delegation was led by Wexford Sinn Féin councillor John Dwyer and included Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and Derry Assembly member Mary Nelis.