In the biweekly debate with the Prime Minister in Parliament, the PCP's Secretary-General, Paulo Raimundo, accused the Government of "taking advantage of existing problems, not to solve them in accordance with the needs of the majority, but to open new business opportunities for a small minority".

"It takes advantage of the housing crisis to increase speculation and serve real estate funds and banks, it takes advantage of the difficulties in healthcare to, sooner rather than later, transfer even more public resources to the business of illness, it takes advantage of low wages to reduce taxes for big capital", he criticized.

For Paulo Raimundo, "everything serves the business of a few, while justifications multiply for failing to meet commitments made, as is happening with several sectors of public administration workers".

"The Government has been quick to dismiss, to make commitments to economic groups, but when it comes to solving the problems that the majority face, it is not and will not be as quick", he criticized.

The communist leader criticized the housing package presented by the Government last week, considering that it does not contain a single measure "that stops the increase in rents and confronts the interests of the banks that have set new profit records in the first quarter of this year".

"Do you think or not that banks and real estate funds should be called upon to contribute to addressing the dramatic housing situation?", he asked.

In his response, Montenegro said that he will maintain "from beginning to end" a disagreement with the PCP regarding the "conception of public policies and their effect" on society.

"The honourable member does not trust society, the capacity installed in the private and social sectors, in what is the capacity for initiative that people have to join social institutions or companies", he accused, stating that the Government, on the other hand, has this trust.

The Prime Minister admitted that "there are a set of services that depend on the State" and that "must have a public guarantee", listing the areas of health, education and housing, but he pointed out that, in the Government's view, it is not "only the State that will be able to solve the access problems that affect so many Portuguese families".

"And here, the honourable member opens a dangerous window, which is that when an entity from the social or private sector contributes to the public access service, whether it be health, education or housing, it is only and solely committed to being able to repay big capital", he said.

Montenegro said he does not have "this complexed view" that "companies and institutions cannot provide public services", although he agrees that "it must be done with State regulation, with rules of transparency and inspection".

Regarding housing, the head of the executive said that "both banks and real estate funds are stakeholders in a strategy that can provide more capacity for supply in the market", and added that the executive will act on both the supply and demand side.

Montenegro stated that the Government wants "to have an increasing public supply in the coming years", but also wants to have "a private supply that is not exclusive to high-end, luxury segments, or local accommodation".

"Let's see if we understand each other: we have a country with space for everyone. It is good to have good customers who buy more expensive, luxury goods, that is not a crime. It is good to have a supply of local accommodation that can be, as it is, essential for our tourism, and in a regime of formality and not informality", he said, adding that this is the philosophy that the Government will follow.

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