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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said he isn’t ashamed of his government’s record when it comes to housing.
Instead, the Taoiseach states that “rather than ashamed, I’m encouraged by some of the progress that has been made in the last couple of years”.
The number of new homes being built has trebled since Fine Gael entered power in 2011, he said – adding that 10,000 homes would be added to the to social housing stock this year.
TheJournal.ie recently investigated just how many homes are actually coming into the market through Rebuilding Ireland, as well as how many of these are new homes, as opposed to tenancies secured through the private rental market.
Concerns have been raised about the language being used by those in government when they talk about the ‘delivery’ of 64,000 new homes in three years.
When the government says that it has ‘delivered’ a home, it means that one unit of housing has become available for an individual or family to live in.
But every ‘delivery’ does not necessarily mean a new house or apartment has been built; deliveries can also come from the private rental market.
If a local authority builds a house, that counts as one ‘delivery’, as it does if a house is leased from a private developer.
But every time a tenant rents a house from a private landlord using the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), that also counts as one ‘delivery’ – at least according to the figures cited by Rebuilding Ireland, the government’s five-year housing action plan.
“The truth is pretty much every party has held the housing brief over the last 20 years, Labour, Fianna Fáil, the Greens and a lot of the flaws in our housing system are mistakes of all of us,” Varadkar said.
He said previous governments allowed for a “boom/bust, boom/bust, boom/bust” situation to emerge, where 90,000 houses were built one year and then “none built for seven years and then you try and rebuild it all again”.
“What I want to do is make sure that we get it right this time, that we increase housing supply aggressively every year until it gets to the sustainable level of about 40,000.”
“We don’t want any more of these boom/bust policies,” he said, hitting out at Fianna Fáil and other parties for “just throwing out housing policies”.
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Of course FF and FG have done an amazing job on housing, the homeless and 1 million on hospital waiting lists. Stop and Think before you vote at the next election. SF are the real alternative.
@DaMoons: SF ? We want everything but want someone else to pay for it party? Explain please how they are a real alternative?
@Alan:
Pearse Doherty.
@Alan: Did you read any of SFs budget submissions for the last 3 years. Pearse Foherty is the SF finance spokesperson. All budgets were costed and were found to be balanced. FF didnt bother doing alternative budgets for almost 5 years. FG were obviously given theirs by their wealthy patrons. Go read Pearse Dohertys budget proposals and come back on here with real feedback.
@Alan: try reading SF budgetary proposals before regurgitating the BS you have been feed.
Best to remain silent and thought a fool than speak only to confirm it.
@DaMoons: A vote for the shinners is a waste of a vote None of the other main parties will enter into coalition with them. They got 22 seats in 2016 on 15% They are polling 20% now but they never do as well in general elections as polls predict, If they keep their 22 seats it will be a great day for them but will not be part of any government, They need 4 times that to form a government and that’s just la la land stuff
@Ben: sorry, but I though we all vote for who he want, not what will get into power
@Ben: Ok Ben, your rant convinced me that Pearse Doherty shouldn’t be listened to.
Wait a minute, is that the smell of fear?
@DaMoons: SF don’t want to be in government, it is much easier to be in opposition. There is a reason they target and poll higher in areas with lowest levels of education and wealth. Their economic policies do not stack up to basic scrutiny.
@Joe Mc: Yes of course you can. That is not the point though Damoons said the shinners are a real alternative after the next election. They are simply not. Are Leitrim going to win the All Ireland? Are Aston Villa going to win the league. Its all la la land stuff
@Cormac Laffan: 22 seats and likely to lose some in the next election like the euros. Yes Trembling
@Ben: I’ll always vote to have local representatives. People who actually really work for communities
@Joe Mc: The Healy Raes’s, Mattie Mc Grath, Michael Lowery, Shane Ross Yeh great idea They really put the country back on track
@Cormac Laffan: Sinn Fein should elect Pierce Docherty as leader before asking the people to elect them to government.
@Thewestisbest: He will not commit his time to that position whilst he has a young family, it’s well documented.
Another thing I admire about the man.
Anyway, about his fiscal planning..
@DaMoons: how could they possibly be an alternative if Mary Lou is chomping at the bit to go into coalition with FF?????? SF should have policies totally at odds with the neoliberal parties to have anything significant to offer, otherwise it will be more spin, wordplay, lies, waste of money and resources. I guess we’re so used to it now that we don’t even expect better but we should. FF/FG abject failures in any area of importance to the majority of people, yet they aren’t held to account by us. We need to wake up.
WE ALREADY PAY FOR EVERYTHING????????
@Ben: we are not talking about English football matches. we are talking about homes for families so please don’t trivialise the needs of new born babies. People with disabilities. Ordinary hardworking tax payers. Older people and young families who will never be able to afford to buy a house of their own… how dare you or anyone else be so judgemental.
@Ben: you sound very English there sir
@Ben: Leicester city were 5000/1 to win the league. Very la la land stuff. You wouldn’t get those odds on SF getting into government.
@Kathleen O Connor: No I was talking about fantasists who think the shinners are part of the next government Loads of people in Ireland even shinners follow soccer in England
@Bernard Browne: That’s very English of you according to Kathleen
Lets all come back here after the election and I can say I told you so
The shinners are going to get nowhere near government
@Alan:same as the farmers
@Alan: baaaah!
@Carpentoza:
Spoken like a true Tory. Did you ever stop to think that poor, uneducated (your words) people vote for Sinn Fein because they know nothing will change for them if they vote for either FF or FG?
@Steady: Name calling isn’t debate. I wish they were a real alternative but SF run with populist policies that don’t stack up or align to our very open economy reliant on FDI, they are not an alternative. I do believe they could deliver cheaper houses for sure with high rates of unemployment and mass emigration.
@DaMoons: absolutely 100% agree with you up to the point you say SF are a real alternative… I would 0% after with that bit, but otherwise,yes, people need to stop and think before putting a 1 or 2 beside a FF or FG Candidate
@DaMoons: the question relates to FG not FF
@DaMoons: I used to think just like that but SF is not the answer. We need a new party. Irish for the Irish first. Simple as that. SF want open borders and anyone to come here. We don’t even vet them! Just imagine the scenes. The new Manchester, the new France or the new Sweden #cantwait
@Ben: but don’t you understand? The people voted of FG last general elections nd ff becaue the majority and then you have ff say f you to the people and put FG back into power. So both parties need disbanding and new politicians replaced or else a new party. Irish for the Irish and Irish first and foremost.
@PJ Higgins: yes that’s the national party
They won’t get a quota between them
@Alan: so you’d prefer to keep with FG? More of the same? How is that better than trying the one party who hasn’t done us over mercilessly?
@Ben: You miss the point. People want the main parties out or demoted to the status of junior coalition partner. Voting SF will deliver that. It’s long past time to change the guard.
@Carpentoza: but they are in government in Northern Ireland and Britain right. Oh wait…,
@DaMoons: I agree with you that SF are the real alternative.Also the SDs&Independents for change.
From 2011-2016 housing stock increased by only 0.4%,even though FF Government had just 1/3rd of adjustment required by Troika to do(FF Government had done 2/3rds).I criticize FF from time to time but whilst they did 2/3rds of adjustment required by Troika they still managed to increase housing stock including social housing plus eg put substantial capital investment into water infrastructure but FG slashed capital expenditure from 2011.HAP was introduced in 2014 and HAP tenancies were called ‘social housing’ which began the privatisation of social housing!Just 75 social houses built by LAs in 2015.Such policies have consequences!
What is especially shocking is homeless families with children increased by 605% between 2011-2019(Sept ’19)& homeless children in family units has increased by 677.7% since 2011! Now,this is just using ‘official’ homeless figures but ‘official’homeless figures excludes 10 Catergories of ETHOS!There has been several Reports over the impact of homelessness especially on children,their development,their mental health and stress levels,etc but no URGENT response from Government,no sense of the importance of these Reports showing why urgent response is needed…..a modern scandal!
Ireland has National emergencies in housing, homelessness and health and it’s truly scary that there’s no sense of urgency to adequately tackle these,there’s seems to be no empathy with those experiencing the consequences of these National emergencies.Theres very little affordable housing stock either to rent or buy&94% of rental houses are outside HAP thresholds.With Brexit &NTMA saying chances of another recession was 100% will exacerbate these National emergencies that should have been adequately tackled for the past nearly 9years plus population estimated to grow by 1.75 in next 32 years is worrying! Promising tax cuts, downplaying Ireland’s National emergencies,vast overspending on capital expenditure, political scandals,etc doesn’t make sense.
When our children/grandchildren grow up ,it won’t be just climate change that will be a priority,it will be affordable housing!!!
@Denis McClean: “people want the main parties out”?
What people?
Opinion polls show FF, FG, Labour, Soc Dems have nearly 60% between them.
@Carpentoza: What economic policies in particular don’t stack up to basic scrutiny,give a link!?
@Denis McClean: well they clearly don’t because they have 55% of the vote between them at the last poll which they will both improve on on Election Day going by past elections
The shinners have 20% which will likely fall to 15%
@DaMoons: I’d prefer no government than SF.
@Carpentoza: What policies don’t stack up?
@Alan: why not give some of the social Democrats a go?
@Nuala Mc Namara: 1.75m
Of course he isn’t. He has absolutely no empathy and is only worried about himself. Did he help out at the hospitals or homeless services over Christmas? No! He said him swimming was more important. The article from 2007 from Irish Times when he was Minister is even more telling. Saying he hated visiting sick children in the hospital at Christmas as it was depressing and he hates a Christmas Carol because he thinks Tiny Tim was a scrounger who should just get a job. He has no feelings for anyone in this country except himself.
@Wade Wilson: send him off somewhere else then. we don’t need him. he’s no good at his job, just good at taking our hard earned money.
Fine Gael the Posh Boys party
@Vinny O Connor: it’s ffg the posh boys party
@Vinny O Connor: ironic given the SF party leader is spending tens of thousands of euros sending her son to Gonzaga, one of the poshest private schools in the country.
@Syl Farrell: how could she send her child to an expensive private school when she only takes the average industrial wage?
@Chin Feeyin: your guess is as good as mine.
Has Mary Lou actually read her own party policy on private schools? Hypothetical to put it mildly…
Here’s just a taster
It is well documented that children who attend private schools come from the wealthiest families and have the best life chances.
“They attend the best universities, get the best degrees, and they are inducted into an elite social circle.
“Fees, and other admission obstacles, are not as much about ensuring ‘standards’ but exist to segregate wealthy children from working-class children.
“Private schools are an offensive practice and are antithetical to our ideals of democracy and equality of opportunity.
https://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/54535
“Private education facilitates the transfer of privilege from one generation to the next.
A classic example of Sinn Fein spouting populist nonesense while it’s party leader engages in and supports the system which the party finds so grossly offensive.
@Syl Farrell: So????
@paul gurney: so you’ve no problem with Mary Lou availing of and supporting an educational system that her party says segregates her “wealthy child” from working class children and which will “induct her child into an elite golden circle”?
I know Sinn Fein need the transfers but this is surely a step too far LOL
Ashamed to say this man is fg party leader and taoiseach absolutely abysmal performance by the government, nothing they touch functions, election cant come soon enough, there will be 10/15 on the sidelines for fg after the next election
Don’t worry Leo if will sort itself out just be happy you got to wear a nice shiney yellow hat
@joe: its not “somehow” joe, you doubt it because your parents thought you to, you doubt it because of how and where you were brought up and you possible doubt it due to weak mindedness and inability to think for yourself, the inability to see ee whats right in front of you.
@joe: hmmm , costing is hardly something any political party can claim is their forte in Govt ?? in fairness ?? …have you seen the health budgets ? Hospital Builds ? , Broadband Plans ? Printers ? ……
@joe: Look at the national children’s hospital costs. You have placed yourself in a big glass greenhouse with an endless supply of rocks.
@Ger: probably thinks he’s in a ‘village people’ tribute band !
@joe: and you don’t think the ESRI ,Central Bank etc would have a bearing on figures analysis or do you really believe the govt spin that only they can be trusted to run the economy…Who is our voice on insurance issues…its not D’arcy and that’s for sure..and was it not FF who only ten years ago bankrupted the country for which we will pay for generations to come…COSTINGS. YEAH RIGHT.
I’m confused how everyone expects free houses? It’s not a homeless crisis it’s a free home crisis.
@Peter Brophy: can you please point us in direction of a single ‘free’ Home. Social housing is never free!!!
@Peter Brophy: rubbish. It’s a housing crisis,hard to find a house even if you wanted to rent a house
@Peter Brophy: yes Peter, you do seem to be very confused.
@M Bowe: go in DCC. They will point you out to 12.400 free houses. People got them for free, pay zero rent while council provide insurance for those houses at a loss! Looks like many people use whatever trick they can to join them without waiting for many years on the list.
@Peter Brophy: if you know anyone who got a free house please let me know so I can get one.
@M Bowe: If you’re on the dole & you use 10% of that money you received from the taxpayer to pay for the social house, it’s a free house.
@Peter Brophy: you are confused ! The assumption that everyone expects free houses might be foundation of that confusion. Most people know we have to work , pay rent and mortgages and yet have you seen the challenges with housing of any type , some ‘one bedroom’ apts in ballymun are 1800 to rent….so housing shortages are hurting everyones ability to just get on and work and make ends meet ?? Why is that so confusing for you ?
@Peter Brophy: im delighted to see comments like this falling dramatically in popularity on public forums, its shows either fg cant afford to employ so many people to flood comment sections with pro fg propaganda, people have opened their eyes and are thinking for themselves or fg party members are leaving in their droves.
@Joe Mc: there’s over like 200k direct properties in Ireland! They don’t want to use these they want to make more houses becasue it keeps cash flow for their buddies in the building industry. And that’s not even half of it. This is planned they are making millions from. This. And nobody can just rent!
@Melissa Mahony: What if you are a pensioner or a Person With Disabilities are they receiving a free home as well.
@Peter Brophy: would you ever f… off.
@Peter Please Crawl back into the hole from which you just emerged
Secure a HAP tenancy Boom!
Landlord Jacks up rent and you can’t afford it 12 months later notice given Bust! and homeless. Yes Leo, that’s something to be proud of alright.
@Mr Hume: Why exactly homeless. Thousands of properties on daft to let or people expect someone to pay their rent all life?
@Kate Fogarty: maybe u csn afford rent in excess of €1500 per month, most families cant.
@Gina Carroll: most families can. That’s why it’s .02% of the population that’s homeless!
@Gina Carroll: I personally know families of immigrants who arrived recently with poor English, two kids, no friends, stamp 1 ( wives have no right to work)… Already rented two beds for 2.000 euro per month and extremely happy! Currently saving money for deposit to buy a house while living less than a year in the country with Very Poor English! They have no right for any SW assistance.
@Gina Carroll: yea and most of those 1500 houses are just rundown hovels
@joe: can what???????
@Kate Fogarty: why are they here then, why not at home in their own country looking after their own people and defending their own country. ALL KEOS ME THINKS
@Kate Fogarty: what is he a brain surgeon or something working in 2 or 3 hospitals
@Kathleen O Connor: there is no need to be a brain surgeon to pay 200 per month in rent for council house but still thousands prefer not to. Better say who are they?!
@Kate Fogarty: yeah I met a man with two pints in his hands.
@Kate Fogarty: No but like it or not there are people who are sick and vulnerable who can not afford to rent privately social housing was invented for a reason.
@Kate Fogarty: Can you explain how these people live so we can all learn how to live on fresh air in one room
@joe: Tens of thousands of families are 1 paycheck away from missing a rent or mortgage payment. Who are you trying to kid? FFG fanboys are absolutely deluded about the ticking time bomb in this country.
@Kate Fogarty: Do you really Kate?? Good friends bcIf yours?? Or did one of your mates tell you about these Poor English speaking “immigrants” in the Pub? sounds a bit Tailored and made up …
@Kate Fogarty: They are a one parent family, they are people who worked all there live’s, paid taxes but due to ill health cannot work anymore. They are people who lost everything in 2008 crash and as a result developed addictions and mental health issues due to reckless decisions taken by the Irish Government and Our banks.
They are older people who deserve better than being forced into homelessness.
This homelessness crisis is the result of the afore mentioned being ostracised and nothing else
@Mr Hume: mention all those groups of people not to me but to DCC and find out why so many gangsters, drug dealers, notorious families… murdering each other weekly all live in social houses instead those who you are telling me about!
@Kate Fogarty: so families plural which means more than one family. What jobs are these men working at that they can afford €24k annually in rent whilst supporting their wives and children and saving for deposits?
@Kate Fogarty: Wise up!
That team of Thai Navy Seals who rescued a football team couldn’t even find this man’s head as it’s wedged so far up his own ar$€.
@Roy O’Rourke: If there is room up there.
Psychopaths lack empathy.
@Da Vid:
And have a grandiose sense of self worth. I’m seeing a pattern here.
Varadka is certainly not ashamed of Anything, His Government is probably the worst that we have had in many a long day. They are all so Self-Opinionated , full of the Real Blueshirt idioligy , their way, going back to the 20s was walk people into the ground, They are the Party of the Rich, and the Big Farmers. No, they were never ashamed, even when bad stuff occurred .
@Eugene Comaskey: Well Said Eugene.
He damned well should be!! But then, Leo and his mates are safe, fed and warm in their untouchable little bubble.
If course he’s not the freaking pxxxk
He should be ashamed. Abysmal performance on housing.
Look what parties have being in power since the foundation of this state. Now look at the State. I think there is something seriously wrong with the people when it comes to voting. As a man I used to know would say I think a lot of the people are Dame Bread
Leo and Murph playing “let’s hide the helmet” again.
I’m ashamed of Leo for not being ashamed.
I see he’s wearing a hard hat to go with his hard neck
Imagine a landlords party building houses or apartments that would take away from their ability to rent their own property for 1500+ a month.
Leo ,what housing Record. FF we don’t forget how your party ruined the country also. Labour party are irrelevant and not fit for purpose. Sinn Fein not only do your figures not add up ,you have lost direction, and the media still call you the Nationalist party which is not the case. Then we have the Greens jumping around the place thinking the young people who have no vote will push their agenda. Greens means extra taxes. Tax individual s on home fuel to keep warm instead of Airlines with daily pollution.
The young people will vote The Nationalist Party who very much care the way our country is going as opposed to selling it out to Europe. We are dictated too from Brussels at all times . Our country is not allowed to think anymore for itself and our Irish laws are undermined by the EU.
@Laz Mahon: And we all though the shinners were away with the fairies. You lot wont even get one Td elected
@Laz Mahon: We’re not dictated to by the EU, as members we get to elect our MEPs who represent our interests for good or for bad. I don’t know who you mix with but no young person I know, either within my family or those I work with, are remotely interested in a ‘national’ party, they enjoy being part of a union with freedom to travel for work and leisure.
@Ben: am sure an unknown parties can’t go to far wrong when we constantly elect the same people who continuelly ruin the country.
Blind eye turn by leo and Co, regarding H&H, housing and homelessness
Once again I’m saying it the journal is infatuated with this clown
Amazing job. Selling off NAMA sites to developers. Allowing vulture funds to buy up huge housing complexes, evict existing tenants and triple+ rents. No social housing built. Really good job..
Your arrogance is disgusting.As long as your image and photo opportunities are right that’s all that matters.sure your great to go out swimming in the cold what a wonderful talent you are.Typical FG Posh Boy you should apologize to all of the thousands of homeless people and tens of thousands of people struggling to pay exorbitant rents instead of insulting them with your Posh Boy comments.
You should be ashamed of yourself
No shame about the health service either, while he was minister for health.
And that right there is the problem with Leo…. Leonis only interested in Leo
Leo isn’t ashamed of housing record. Well me might be made feel ashamed at the ballot box next election time. Let’s see if enough people send a message how ashamed they should be. No amount of PR spin or shots in construction hats can mask the realities of living in Ireland at the moment. I would respectfully suggest he is not judging the mood of the voters in those focus groups and research polls correctly if he doesn’t feel some shame !
@Dave Hammond: Completely agree – sadly, homeless people are unable to vote, so why would career politicians care equally for all?
I need a brkfast roll!!!
@Adrianh_80: Now you’re talking..!
He turns my stomach.
well he bloody should be !
WELL HE F…… BE
Not surprised he’s not ashamed, he could land a job in the Tory cabinet. Built loads of homes which were sold off plan to investment funds, which will be rented at large sums.
The situation is a disgrace but the problem is they are spending billions of our money trying to fix it but don’t know what they are at.
The problem is no one in the opposition has a credible plan to fix it either. 3 huge problems facing Irish people today Healthcare, Childcare and housing Healthcare is the Angola in fairness but the other 2 are easily fixable but it will take a few years but the sad thing is no one up there of any political hue has a clue
So you’re saying he’s lying and 64 thousand homes have not become available ! Or are we just arguing whether they are actually new builds or “re energised ” or new rents? I thought the problem here was homelessness and getting people into homes, not actually squabbling about how those homes become available. Seems a bit silly really. It should be simple maths. Adding and subtracting. Not all this politicalising of homes.
@Marie Broomfield: you see, they didn’t actually become available at all. You are watching sleigh of hand tricks from Eoghan Murphy, who is a trickster as was his ……………….. , All tricksters, that’s what they are, they talk in %s all the time , not actual numbers.
Then the man knows no shame but what would you expect From cosseted individuals like Murphy and Varadker
The solution to the housing crisis is to do what they do in Vienna. Simple effective and becomes self financing very quickly.
Social housing and private housing all in one go.
It works the structures are easy to copy but has anybody got the guts to do it is the big question
Everytime Leo, Simon and especially Murphy open their mouths, they are doing their best to lose the next election. Why don’t they just let Michael Martin do the talking for them and they will cruise back in.
Just like he’s not ashamed of the trolley crisis.
Varadkar is to arrogant to be ashamed him and his government and FF toe rags are a disgrace
Promising Tax cuts and ignoring lack of Mental health services, lack of home care facilities and help for those in need of home care, lack of any real commitment to averting the catastrophic effects of Climate change..
..but ignore all that lads here are some tax cuts…..!!
Just like the UK social media is full of people saying no more to the elected government until there is an election and then they vote them back in. Obviously there are a lot more people who agree with the government than we imagine. Or is it just the people who disagree who post on social media
@David Saunders: Obviously people who post on here are not a accurate cross section of Irish people
However at the moment there is no credible alternative to either FF or FG and in fact things could be a lot worse
And that is the view of 55% of the electorate
There you are: proof positive that the man is a clueless moron. Very unlikely he will ever leave his ivory tower to check in with reality.
Talk about FG and Leo talking the piss! The idiots of Ireland will swallow again his utter pre-election tripe.
Deluded dangerous people
I’m sure I’m being pedantic but there needs to be 42k properties built per year from now until 2050, a bit more than Leo’s 40k. Mostly 2 person households. We will need to allow planning for high rise blocks otherwise the urban sprawl will mean people will be trying to commute from stupid locations and have ridiculous commutes. Also, without high rise urban developments in builds that include a mix of affordable and social housing you’ll end up forcing people that take up the social housing to live in the countryside where they won’t be able to commute to amenities or jobs and won’t ever have an opportunity to take up employment or have much higher likelihood of remaining dependant on social welfare. David McWilliams has as a great episode in his podcast that covers all this
It’s important to be consistent
have your say