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MEMBERS OF THE opposition remain unconvinced that incoming-Taoiseach Simon Harris and his Fine Gael will be able to achieve the housing goals laid out in his address to the party’s Ard Fheis yesterday.
In his speech, Harris made a number of promises around taxes and housing, notably the promise that 250,000 homes will be delivered between 2025 and 2030.
Three oppositional TDs acknowledged the optimism of the figures but remained unconvinced that the plans went far enough to deliver the promised target, to tackle homelessness and to increase homeownership.
Speaking to RTÉ’s The Week In Politics today, Harris said the 250,000 homes figure was not a promise that Government would deliver 50,000 homes each year but that the supply of housing would increase over that time.
“It’s not just about setting a target,” Harris told the programme. “It’s about lifting ambition.”
Currently, the Government has rejected claims from opposition that the delivery of housing can be increased to 50,000 homes each year.
Government celebrated the delivery of around 33,000 homes in 2023 and used the figure to defend themselves last month after they missed their own social and affordable housing targets.
Harris today said he also does not believe delivering 50,000 homes each year is currently achievable but believes Government can take measures in order to facilitate the ramping up of home ownership and delivery over time.
The Wicklow TD said by expanding development levies, increasing the help-to-buy scheme and the renters credit, it can assist with the increase delivery of housing while allowing younger renters and first-time buyers to save their money for a deposit.
He added that his address to the party conference was not “just full of ‘we will’, it’s here’s what we’re going to do”.
He said the challenges around housing are not just about ambitions, but are practical issues around financing and delivery. The higher education minister said he wanted to get younger people out of “box rooms”.
Harris rejected what he called “soundbite figures” for housing targets by opposition parties, adding that many of the parties do not have the evidence to support how their goals are achievable.
Oppositional TDs have claimed Harris’ new housing measures do not go far enough and argued that it will continue to lead to higher rents and higher house prices.
Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin, who is also the party’s spokesperson for housing, said Harris’s plan “offers nothing new” to current Fine Gael policy. Ó Broin said increasing rent tax credits will lead to increases in rent by landlords.
“His [Harris's] Ard Fheis speech offered nothing new in terms of tackling rising homelessness, rising rent or rising house prices. He had nothing to say about how he was going to tackle the affordability crisis,” Ó Brion said this morning.
The Dublin TD said broadening of the help-to-buy scheme won’t increase the supply – meaning people will be able to afford non-existent homes – and that the expansion development levy is not enough to build that supply.
Ó Broin said that, along with what was promised by Harris, there also needs to be a three-year emergency ban on rent increase, expanding planning and procurement procedures to increase the stream of delivery and an increase in the number of affordable homes.
The housing spokesperson said these measures will stop increases in rent, house prices and also allow local authorities and the State to deliver more homes in a faster manner.
Speaking on the same programme as Harris this morning, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon welcomed the 250,000 homes figure but said he was unconvinced Fine Gael will be able to achieve it.
Gannon said a no-fault eviction ban need to be brought back into legislation in order to tackle increases in the number of people who are homeless. “This new energy is exactly the same as the old energy,” Gannon said.
He added: “I’m not convinced by this new energy either.”
Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly also told the programme that the Taoiseach-elect’s plans will lead to increased rent and house prices and argued that the states needs to be more “public houses on public land”.
O’Reilly said Sinn Féin wants to see homeownership in Ireland grow, but did not go as far as Ó Brion to lay out a plan on how to achieve that.
She said Harris making comments about younger people in box rooms is “as if they landed in the back bedroom by accident. It’s government policy”.
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GREAT IDEA.
Once they’re aware all these projects in Ireland will come in 100% OVER budget and late
And who is going to do the work?
We don’t have enough builders to build desperately needed houses as it is without syphoning off more of them for retrofitting.
I’m not suggesting climate change isn’t real but unfortunately homelessness is a greater crisis at the moment.
All grants for retrofitting should be paused for at least a decade.
@P.J. Nolan: you are on here every day claiming there isn’t builders. I’ve had to set you straight about 5 times now. Also people who are retrofitting insulation will be completely different to the ones building housing, it’s not done by insulation companies it’s done by the dry lining or carpentry crews and the externals by either the brick layers or cladding crews. And even then it’s usually the labourers or apprentices doing it
@Martin Mongan:
And as I have asked you before, if there is no shortage why do SF say it will at least 10 years to sort out the housing crisis?
They are right, it will, at least.
@P.J. Nolan: because it takes time to build something….? Do you think we just click our fingers and houses pop up? Do you understand the processes you have to go through to even just buy the land, nevermind the design and planning stage. Ground works alone can take more then a year depending on the size
@P.J. Nolan: well Intel’s big job is slowly wrapping up so that’ll free up workers
@Martin Mongan: well we have 100k of Ukrainians and at least 12k/ year of IPAS applicants all on the scratcher. Maybe if we trained them they might build a few.
@Thomas Hayes: they’d have to legally allowed work first
They couldn’t give a flying retrofit about the homeless or those with homes for that matter.Those that rely on fossil fuel will continue to be taxed and penalised.
@Patrick Presley: Who is they?
Trust in the EU machine being eroded fast across eu citizens. Changing times indeed.
@Mike 100: Is it? Source? Or just a warm fuzzy feeling in your pants?
How do you retrofit a tent for homeless people who can’t afford a roof over their heads because rental prices are too high or people who look at an empty fridge for the same reason?
The dynamics of society are volatile as ideologues chase conceptual rainbows of climate change modelling and act out solutions that have nothing to do with planetary climate.
The emergence of the maga crowd in the USA is no accident in reaction to an equally vacuous and pretentious group that dominates an educational, cultural and social-political clique.
26 years is plenty of time for this plan to go nowhere, as happens with a lot of these grandiose, long-term schemes. That means, of course, that large sums of money will inevitably change hands in the meantime, with several fortunes no doubt being made. Most of those involved will have long retired or passed away by 2050. Ciarán Cuffe will be 87. There’ll be no one left around to explain how the plan just sort of petered out with very little to show for it. That’s assuming there’s still an EU in 26 years, and I would have some doubts in that regard. Times and attitudes change, and no treaty lasts forever…
The biggest issue is energy generation. Increase the use of nuclear power and close down coal generation. This is the main cause of emissions. Once our energy generation is carbon neutral then run the transport system of it and over half emmisons will dissappear. But no. It will be taxes and restrictions on individuals instead .
better make it 2 trillion cos once it comes to Ireland everything will be 100%+ over budget
Looking forward to learning more about this at the upcoming ZEB Summit
I’ll send them on my address for the retrofit seeing it’s like a half way house here anyway !!
Green building plan .
Held shares in 6 oil companies.
That does not sound like a green plan to me .
Green party are full of bull.
have your say