Action for Housing says it wishes to thank Minister for Housing, Mr Steven Linares, for having accepted its invitation to visit “substandard dwellings in which tenants live in appalling conditions.”

A spokesperson said: “The Minister gave us one and a half hours of his time to view and inspect some of the flats we so desperately wanted him to visit. Needless to say we would have wanted more time with him, but at least still managed to visit 5 dwellings and 1 government-owned building whose tenants need to be decanted. Unfortunately the Minister gave us very short notice and as a result we were unable to arrange with our local TV broadcaster to accompany us. Nevertheless, we are also mindful of his very tight agenda.

“Mr Linares, who was accompanied by the Principal Housing Officer, saw for himself the very deplorable conditions in which some elderly persons, particularly in our Moroccan community, continue to live in. What they observed was only a snapshot of a much wider reality and a situation which should not exist in a financially prosperous place like Gibraltar.

“Although Action for Housing appreciate that much has been done in the way of providing housing for pensioners, as well as for those who have purchased their homes in the supposedly low-cost housing schemes, there is still a great deal to do in order to eliminate all those pockets in which people live in totally unacceptable conditions.

“During our visits we were able to speak candidly with the Minister and urged him once again the need for government to provide more homes for rental to cater for the poorer members of our community. Without these extra number of flats, some of the people we visited, as well as others in the same predicament, will pass away (as has happened in the past) without having been able to enjoy a decent home in their twilight years.

“As such, Action for Housing will continue to lobby and campaign for decent housing for those who have been historically neglected.”