DEMAND FOR HOUSING
Tuesday’s statement in the Senate by Junior Minister of Housing, Anthony Roberts, that 19,884 persons had applied for 16 housing units now under construction at Ramgoolie Trace, Curepe, by the National Housing Authority (NHA), has served to underscore the tremendous demand for low-cost housing in Trinidad and Tobago today. Roberts’ advice was in reply to a question posed by Opposition United National Congress Senator Wade Mark. Later he would decline to reveal the names of applicants for 35 townhouses at the Ramgoolie Trace site, insisting that it had the potential for the undermining of client confidentiality. In response to another question by Mark he said he would find out whether the information could be had under the Freedom of Information Act. While it would be understandable should the Act allow for the release of the names of the districts in which the applicants live, it strikes us that there would, nevertheless, be the question of propriety should the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act require the Ministry of Housing to release the names of applicants. Admittedly, a crucial aspect of the Freedom of Information Act is the ensuring of transparency by making the general public more aware by giving it access to information that would otherwise have been regarded by Government as belonging to its personal fiefdom. Such information could prove to be interesting and would reveal whether the Ministry of Housing was being fair in distribution of houses. Meanwhile, with property values rising dramatically in several areas of the country Government’s plan to build in conjunction with the private sector some 10,000 homes a year should help to ease the pressure of the desperate need for affordable housing. Shortlisting of the applicants will be a difficult job and, hopefully, NHA will give preference to families currently living in and around Curepe or who are employed in or within a five-mile radius of the town. Even though the number of housing units — 16 — is relatively small, nonetheless we should expect that the criteria employed by the National Housing Authority in applicant selection would place emphasis on an easing of the housing situation in Curepe itself, and above all would be absolutely open to scrutiny. The abnormally high figure of 19,884 is evidence of the serious housing shortage which the Government has promised to relieve. We sincerely hope that this is one promise that will be kept.
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"DEMAND FOR HOUSING"