The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday passed a proposal to insert “residency rights” based on international law into the Housing Act (住宅法), as it began a substantive review of changes aimed at laying the groundwork for extensive construction of public housing.
The committee approved a Ministry of the Interior amendment to add the protection of residency “rights and interests” to the act’s objective of strengthening the home market and improving housing quality.
An attached explanatory clause states that “rights and interests” are based on rights to “adequate housing” in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said the provision was intended to highlight the spirit of the revisions, while Deputy Minister of the Interior Hua Ching-chun (花敬群) said it was intended to emphasize “care for the vulnerable.”
The Housing Act has a final section on “the equality of residency right, calling it a “basic human right” and guaranteeing “fairness” and freedom from discrimination, particularly for disabled people.
The committee rejected an amendment proposed by Democratic Progressive Legislator (DPP) Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) that would also have invoked the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provisions on “freedom of movement” and “freedom to choose” one’s residence.
The “residency rights” provision drew intense debate yesterday, with DPP lawmakers passing it despite objections from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順).
“This is quite far removed from the original purpose of the law, which addresses something slightly different from rights to things like freedom of speech,” Huang said, expressing concern over what governmental responsibilities it would entail.
Review of other amendments to the act are to continue in future committee meetings, with discussions expected on amendments forbidding forced evictions and establishing an appeals system for violations of residency rights, in addition to social housing provisions.
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