The Lisbon Tenants Association (AIL) is “very concerned” with the policies proposed by the new Government for the Housing area and considers that the addition of this area to the Infrastructure portfolio demonstrates “a setback”.
“We consider it a loss, because the aggregation to the Ministry of Infrastructure is, in some way, a subordination of the Housing area. We consider it a setback”, Pedro Ventura, vice-president of AIL, told Lusa, highlighting that the association will fight “so that this area continues to be a significant area and not an appendage of the Ministry of Infrastructure”.
Pedro Ventura stated that tenants are “very concerned” in relation to the measures known for the sector when the Democratic Alliance (AD, which brought together PSD and CDS-PP) program was presented.
The official stressed that the appointment of Miguel Pinto Luz as Minister of Infrastructure is not at stake, but “the program that this person will implement in the coming years”.
“Our biggest concern is the fact that the PSD never distanced itself, during this process of housing crisis, from the ‘Cristas law’, a law that we consider should be repealed and, having been a law approved by a PSD Government for many years, we see with great concern the permanence of this law and the worsening of measures in this area of Housing”, he highlighted.
Pedro Ventura also said that AIL is equally concerned about future public housing programs in Portugal, because the AD’s electoral program presented “clearly a reduction in public investment in housing and a greater focus on private investment in this area”.
“What we consider is that the housing problem cannot be resolved without a strong component of public investment”, he argued.
According to the person responsible, AIL will request a meeting with the new minister in the “short term”, to present him with a list of demands.
PSD vice-president Miguel Pinto Luz, aged 47, will assume the role of minister for the first time, after having been Secretary of State for Infrastructure in the short second Government led by Pedro Passos Coelho (30 October 2015 and 26 November 2015).
The inauguration of the Prime Minister and the ministers of the XXIV Constitutional Government will take place on Tuesday, at 6:00 pm, at Palácio da Ajuda.
Three days later, in the same place and at the same time, the secretaries of State will take office.
