The parliamentary leader of the Socialist Party (PS), Alexandra Leitão, met with the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, and with the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Duarte, to discuss the measures for the Housing sector presented by the Government, in the Construir Portugal package.

"Concern" was the word used to describe the position regarding the repeal of measures such as "the facilitation of the transmissibility of the Local Accommodation register or the end of the [Extraordinary Contribution on Local Accommodation]", which could result in an "immediate effect in withdrawing, namely, in certain areas of the country such as Lisbon and Porto, withdrawing houses from the housing market, putting those houses in another market, namely Local Accommodation (AL)".

"This set of measures is very worrying for us and we stated that it would be an area in which it would be difficult, with what was presented to us, to support [the Government]", she added, in statements to journalists in the Assembly of the Republic, adding that "very positive results have been recorded from the measures adopted in the Mais Habitação package, from the previous Government, in which the measures adopted relating to other uses had an immediate effect on the increase in properties for rent".

Alexandra Leitão also described the "mentioned flexibility of the lease" as "worrying". "The protection of tenants is absolutely essential and it is a point on which we can hardly give in", she said.

However, not everything was concern. "[Regarding] other aspects, of simplifying and improving support, we are naturally available to work, to present measures if necessary, and, in that sense, that is what we said. We are available, now we will see what the next steps are", she added.

For the socialist parliamentary leader, the important thing, at this moment, is to "show the availability to work" and "establish from now on which are the aspects in which it will be difficult" to "support this package".

The measures related to local accommodation are, in the current Government's Housing Strategy (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), those with the fastest execution (at 10 days) and also include the repeal of the expiry of the license and the transmissibility of local accommodation.

Asked about the possibility of the PS making the proposal of the Liberal Initiative for the formation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the Santa Casa da Misericórdia viable, Alexandra Leitão said that the party has not yet taken a position, but argued that "it is not necessary to repeat parliamentary commissions of inquiry" for parliament to carry out the due scrutiny.

"We have already had a CPI that will proceed potestatively and three that have already been presented. Therefore, I think we also have to analyse", she concluded.

The Government is meeting during the morning of this Thursday with all parties with parliamentary representation with a view to including their proposals in the housing programme "Construir Portugal".

This programme, announced last Friday, includes, among other measures, the creation of a public guarantee for young people to buy their first home, the reformulation of the Porta 65 programme and the repeal of the Extraordinary Contribution on Local Accommodation (CEAL) and the expiry of the license and transmissibility. "Construir Portugal" also seeks to "restore flexibility and confidence to those who rent and to landlords".

[News updated at 11:39 am]

Read Also: Housing. 'Renting to sublet' will have 78 houses allocated by June (Portuguese version)