PNP hits back at JLP on housing construction claim
Published:Friday | August 28, 2020 | 5:05 PM
The People’s National Party (PNP) says a claim from the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) that it has built some 20,000 new houses during its tenure is false based on data collected by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).
Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke made the statement during last night’s political debate with the PNP’s Mark Golding, as he bashed housing plans put forward by the party.
READ: Golding touts PNP's housing plan for Jamaicans
In a statement this afternoon, the PNP said data from the PIOJ’s Survey of Living Conditions shows that in 2019, some 8,120 housing starts were initiated by the National Housing Trust (NHT) and another 1,953 units completed, representing 24 per cent.
The party further says that the PIOJ data also shows that between 2016 and 2018, the NHT started 9,966 houses of which 52 per cent or 5,194 units were completed.
It argues that the JLP’s claim of constructing 20,000 houses lacks credibility and should be rejected.
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