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THE GOVERNMENT’S ‘HUGELY ambitious’ social housing is working according to Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.
Speaking at leaders’ questions in Leinster House, Coveney came under fire from Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty regarding government housing policy and the Raise the Roof housing march and demonstration held outside the gates of Dáil Éireann yesterday.
After Doherty asserted that “enough is enough” and that people want “real solutions and action, not your understanding”, Coveney suggested that the country is “in the middle of a very pressurised situation” regarding the accommodation crisis.
“The government’s biggest priority is housing and has been for some time,” Coveney said, adding that it has built 8,000 social housing unit so far this year.
We are talking about adding another 100,000 houses over time, which is hugely ambitious, over time.
“The delay is not about capital investment, it is about process and capacity,” he added, responding to Doherty’s assertion that the government needs to double its investment in housing solutions.
Doherty also argued that the government has not delivered 8,000 homes this year, rather the figure is 5,500.
“More than one third of households are spending more than 30% of their income on rent. 70% of modest income households are spending more than 30% of that income,” he said.
“It is an absolute scandal,” adding that Sinn Féin’s solution would be to introduce a temporary tax relief for renters and a three-year emergency rent freeze.
Fianna Fáil’s Dara Calleary meanwhile quizzed Coveney on the government’s approach to FEMPI (Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) legislation as regards general practitioners and the trouble Ireland is having in maintaining the industry.
“Clearly there is no dialogue” between the government and GP representative organisations, Calleary said, in response to Coveney saying that he could not comment “while that dialogue is ongoing”.
“The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) is not involved (in dialogue),” Calleary said. “70% of GPs won’t take new patients because of the pressures on their practice. We can’t have effective access to such care when there are no resources to take on new patients.”
He added that the Australian government is “actively targeting people from this country because of of their training and skills”.
The Minister for Health is asleep on the watch on this one.
Independent TD Clare Daly also quizzed Coveney on the problems fully crewing Ireland’s naval vessels, particularly with regard to the protection of Irish fishing waters.
“Our naval service is in meltdown,” she said, adding that “bullied overworked crews are being forced to go out to give the illusion of a functioning navy”.
She said the issues were not merely about pay alone, a consistent issue being raised by Defence Forces representative bodies such as PDFORRA and WPDF, but about the “chronic mismanagement of the Defence Forces, and the government running “pet projects” in defence to “cosy up” to the EU military establishment.
“Why are we getting a costly ninth vessel when we don’t even have the crew for eight?” she asked.
Responding, Coveney said that he had “absolute confidence” in the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, while Ceann Comhairle Sean Ó Fearghail admonished Daly for making accusations against named people “who are not here to defend themselves”.
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If only we believed them, time to go FFG
@Genius 80s+: It’s nearly impossible to get a builder these days. Everyone is at full capacity. I predict a housing crash in 2 years.
@Dow Dubrov: You can get any trade you want if the will is behind it to do something,
@Dow Dubrov: So there’s a shortage of labour for building and it can’t keep up with demand meaning a shortage of housing stock for the foreseeable future. When demand is high & supply low, you see that as a sign of an imminent crash, you’re not overly familiar with basic economic principles are you?
@Tom Cullen: Anyone with half a brain knows it will crash at some stage, the trick is knowing when, it could be 1, 2 5 or 10 years away who knows.
@Peter Hughes: It’s the statement made followed by a near imminent crash claim that was so ludicrous and nonsensical. It goes without saying that a crash will happen in any country with an infinite timeline, just two years and Dublin/Ireland seems highly unlikely.
@Genius 80s+: Where would you get them?
@Tom Cullen: Yes, there is a shortage of experienced construction workers for housing projects, many are working on commercial projects which provide a better rate of return for both developers and investors. Any apartments goung into the old Clerys building for example ?Coupled with the difficulty workers from outside the country have with the cost of living here supply of labour is impeded.
Many economists btw anticipate 2020 for a global recession, kicking off in the US first.
@Genius 80s+: and replace them with what? No point in whinging if you can’t suggest alternative you idiot
@wattsed: I agree with everything you’ve said and it’s why I can’t see house prices falling anytime soon. In terms of a global recession 2020, it’s not outside the realms of possibility. Between trade wars and for me the biggest factor, massive vacancy rates of retail space caused by the growth of online shopping, it is definitely a possibility. Ireland is a lot better protected from a global recession than it was in 2006. IT and the service industry is spurring our economy, not construction. Also lending criteria is much more stringent than it was. Lastly supply is not meeting demand for housing, which was not the case in 2006-2015. With a global recession, there may be a stagnation or slight fall in house prices, but not the levels seen 10 years ago.
@Tom Cullen: The supply demand ratio may look very different in two years than it does now
Simon Coveney is the emblem of the hatred the FFG party feels towards Ireland.
He promised that no homeless families would be in emergency hotel accommodation by June 30 2017. He slunk out of his job a week before that date was reached. There are now even more familiies in emergency hotel accommodation.
To reward him for his dismal failure the FFG coalition promoted Coveney.
And he has never properly addressed the issue about whether he benefited from the funds that were ‘resting’ in his Dad’s Cayman Islands bank account.
He is a charlatan and not fit for purpose .
Simon Coveney is the symbol of how the FFG party rewards failure.
@mursim:
“And he has never properly addressed the issue about whether he benefited from the funds that were ‘resting’ in his Dad’s Cayman Islands bank account.”
I genuinely missed this, but always suspected that Brown envelopes had been replaced with Swiss bank account logins.
Have you a link to this report?
@angryDuck: historic but interesting all the same
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/coveney-says-late-father-was-not-depositor-at-ansbacher-1.233180?mode=amp
Almost a decade in power and we’re still hearing about the ambitious plan, not just social housing , many can’t afford to mortgage and move on from Rental properties and others in work now quality for social housing and Family Income Support because of 0-hour contracts , it’s been a dismal Decade
@Dáithí O Raghailaigh: why the impatience? It all takes time don’t you know ? … give it another decade … and another decade after that… …
The problem is if the government build 10,000 social houses tomorrow and house every single homeless person in their preferred area there will still be 10,000 homeless people the following day.
Action is needed but they have to target affordable housing, social housing and housing development in urban areas. The mantra of housing people (affordable and social) in city centres also has to change.
@Andy Dwyer: Some weird logic there.
@Andy Dwyer: all they have to do is build upwards. Tall apartment blocks. What’s the problem with that?
@Joe Phillips: I love the way people start a sentence with ‘all they have to do is’…….
@John: Well it’s such a ridiculously obvious solution, and one which people have been calling for for ages. But they won’t do it. They’re putting obstacles in their own path by not doing that. In other words, they’re not trying at all. They’re pretending to try.
@Joe Phillips: I fully agree that they need to build up in Dublin City Centre. Plus there should be high density housing near train, dart and Luas stations in the suburbs. But it is consistently An Taisce that block any idea of such development. Their a government agency living in the dark ages.
@Andy Dwyer: they need to stop providing social housing in city centres and other scarce land areas for people who don’t work; these sites should only be used to house people working in the city centres. If somebody never worked and looks unlikely to do so, they should be housed in a lower cost location.
We need a better land use policy that gets away from people getting up early and commuting long distances to work in cities, while too many people in cities sleep on in the mornings.
Same Simon coveney who pledged that there would be no more families living in hotel rooms by June 2018? That guy?
Yeah, lets believe him….
The biggest threat to this nation is the obvious ongoing belief that FFG will someday, somehow in someway change and that everything will be sorted finally at some point in the future.
@Tweed Cap: The biggest threat is that there is no viable alternative. Decades of illness, no cure.
@Charles McCarthy: renua. Although many might not vote for them. But they’ll put the taxpayer first for a change !
Aah they can say whatever they want, i dont know if their just lying or if their delusional. Either way, 10,000 homeless says their wrong.
Hey FFG, where are my well educated children going to be able to afford to live when they leave college?
Is it your intent that the be rent slaves for your landlord / investment fund buddies?
At this stage a vote for FFG is a vote against your own children.
Housing should never be a commodity in a so called republic. 25 years of neo-liberal policy implemented by FF and continued by FG is what caused this national emergency. Coveney would have us believe that the foxes are doing a great job guarding the hen house.
I think most people are waking up to how the status quo operate (in self interest) but we’ll have to see if enough current FF/FG voters have the capacity de-programme themselves from the brainwashing, put their grand-children’s future ahead of any short term benefits the gov try to entice them with in the next budget and do enough damage at the next election to make both of them less relevant going forward.
recently spotted Coveney in carrigaline court hotel. Having a huge fancy steak for himself with house wine. He doesn’t give a toss about the ordinary people just his opulent lifestyle
@Ross Fehily: what were you doing there
@Ross Fehily: yeah,your right he should not be allowed to eat……
@Ross Fehily: Steak and wine?? How dare he be so opulent. At least he’s not jetting to Paris for shirts… What should he be eating Colcannon and bacon with Milk pretending to be poor Paddy??
@Ciarán FitzGerald: and the nerve of him drinking house wine.whatever next.
@Ross Fehily: Opulent lifestyle, but drinking house wine?
The lies from this government is disgusting.
Those statistics are laughable. After rent and bills I have €20 to spend on food, no heat, either food or heat…
FFG believe their own propaganda at this stage. Why keep voting the same people and hope for something to change..
They cannot even agree on what figures for homelessness are correct or how many houses are actually being built by their own plans….. How can we believe them.
All spin no substance.
If it is working why is there still a huge number homeless.
FF sit in the Dail and pretend to be concerned about homelessness. Yesterday Michael Martin stood up listing all FG’s broken promises regarding this issue. He seems to have forgotten that last week he and his minions abstained in a no confidence vote that would have brought this appalling government down. Abstaining in a vote by elected representatives is an absolute disgraceful act. No matter what FG do or don’t do FF will support them all the way. Hopefully Martin will never be Taoiseach because he sat on his backside in cabinet while the country imploded and did nothing. If they get into power, by some miracle ,they will be as useless as FG have been about homelessness because they just don’t care. FFG just don’t care
Housing is bloody urgent. It needs to move a tad quicker than the bloody glacial pace that everything else organized by government moves in this banana republic!
Really Simon?
OMG….more lies
These schisters have been in power for the last 7 years and all we hear are more plans for projects that will never see the light of day. The thing that sickens me is though is the morons who come on here to defend them . I ask the people who voted for FF last time is this what you voted for to prop up fg.? The next GE should be a real eye opener .
anti-social housing programme more like, ghetto load of my housing programme!
They should drop a bomb on this kip. It’s an absolute toilet
What a disgraceful man and even worse the journal printing these total lies.
Hang your heads in shame
They should print houses.
@Damocles: No, no, no Damocles – you need someone who analyses a problem then has the vision, energy and willingness to find a solution. Then the final part, implement it. But that might mean failure, requiring someone to pick themself up and go for it again.
But these are politicians in a time capsule.
Is he for real
Coveney is emblematic of everything that is rotten in the soul of Ireland today. A landlord land-owning, career politician, from a political/business dynasty with huge inherited wealth and privilege. Private school educated- handed his political career on a plate (along with everything else). Completely out of touch with ordinary Irish people. He is not fit to govern a one horse town, never mind any role in a whole country. He is classist, and has no clue. He’s the very type that would say that people on welfare, or homeless people, or people looking for a basic place to live have some kind of entitlement syndrome, when really it’s those of his ilk who have all the pie, and want to hoard it because they believe their opulent lifestyles are their birthright. His ilk have no place in a country with our history of landlordism, rack renting etc. Makes me sick to my stomach.
It’s about ideology right wing capitalist will not build council houses full stop
There voters put them in to make money for them simple as that
Just tell the truth FG will not build council houses
Maybe a small amount of crumbs like social houses
Come on lads E320k affordable don’t be daft
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Muise
Wake up Ireland, you don’t have a Housing problem, you have a migration problem, solve one and you solve the other.
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