The Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, has confirmed that work on the government’s new housing goals is ongoing and a completion date has not yet been set. Before going to polls, Taoiseach Simon Harris aims to establish these new housing objectives, alongside the approval of the Finance Bill that introduces tax cuts outlined in the budget.
Mr. O’Brien mentioned that the government is considering targets of more than 50,000 housing units annually, and it’s vital for the public to understand how these goals will be achieved. In any talks about forming a government following the general election, the Fianna Fáil TD emphasised the importance of maintaining the Help to Buy and the First Home schemes, seeing the matter as a deal-breaker for his political party.
When questioned by Dublin reporters at an event celebrating the annual publishing of Respond’s report, he mentioned that finding an agreement with Fianna Fáil about a housing plan that doesn’t offer substantial support for first-time buyers would be unlikely. Schemes such as Help to Buy grant and the First Home bridge scheme will be considered.
Referencing a recent ESRI report, O’Brien stated that according to 12 different population growth projections, between 35,000 to 53,000 new homes will be required each year. He mentioned that achieving these targets was a complex task, but it was crucial for the public to understand the path to reaching these aims.
He critiqued the opposition for suggesting that 60,000 to 70,000 new homes could be built annually, arguing that realistically it would take a lot of effort to build even 40,000 units per year. However, he was hopeful that the target of 40,000 units could be reached this year, with goals for social and affordable housing being not only met, but surpassed.
“Establishing targets and understanding how we plan to achieve them in a set timeframe is of the essence,” he said, adding that “our progress has been noted, but there’s still an unmet need that dates back to a particular period 10 years ago, prior to the advent of this Government. Insufficient housing was built at that time and we are now making strides to rectify this, which our future goals must bear in mind.”
Mr O’Brien expressed a strong desire to maintain his position as housing minister, though he offered no clear suggestions as to whether this would be crucial for Fianna Fáil during potential government talks.
He said, “Red lines? I don’t believe we have those. Discussing such matters at this stage would be presumptuous. The election results are not out yet. The current government still has tasks to complete, tasks that need resolution in the upcoming week.”
He conveyed his hope that Fianna Fáil would be involved in post-election government discussions and asserted his confidence in that outcome.
Mr O’Brien also mentioned the possibility of the general election taking place on November 29th – the same day as the expected release of October’s homeless statistics – had not occurred to him as it could act as a potential distraction. He stated unequivocally that if the elections were to coincide with the release of these figures, there wouldn’t be any connection between the two and it hadn’t been factored into considerations.