Taipei Times
Date: Oct 21, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

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.”     [FULL  STORY]