Government has no confidence in new housing plan, says Hearne

The removal of annual targets from the government’s housing plan shows they have no confidence in it, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.

Deputy Hearne said:

“This latest housing plan from this government is even worse than I had feared. No new ideas, no ambition – not even any annual targets.

“The removal of annual targets from this plan is damning. It shows that the government has no confidence in its ability to deliver its own commitments.

“Instead of forecasting an annual number of homes, they are forecasting failure – and doing their best to pre-emptively evade accountability by scrapping the targets.

“In his opening line in the plan, the Housing Minster says: “We are in a housing crisis, one that requires a rapid response”.

“This commentary from the Minister is not just tone deaf, it beggars belief. This plan marks the fourth housing plan in more than a decade from successive governments which have promised to address the housing disaster. Each one has made it worse.

“Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil have held the housing brief for nearly six years – but the Minister is apparently just waking up to the fact that we need a rapid response now? Confirmation, if any were needed, that they have been asleep at the wheel.

“The truth is we are no longer in a housing crisis, it is a housing emergency – that requires an emergency response. That response cannot be found in this plan, which is instead a recipe for further failure.

“It didn’t have to be like this. This plan could have adopted the radical change in policy that the government’s own Housing Commission recommended.

“For years, the Social Democrats have been putting forward innovative policy proposals that the government has ignored. One of those was the creation of a state savings scheme to leverage some of the €160 billion in deposit accounts to turbocharge the delivery of tens of thousands of homes.

“Instead of implementing this, the government has included prize bonds, that have existed for decades, as a measure in this plan – as if they are new or will make any difference to housing delivery. The lack of vision or imagination is truly shocking.

“The other core element this plan is missing is state-led direct delivery of social and affordable housing on a massive scale rather than relying on the market, which will never deliver affordable housing

“In her inauguration speech on Tuesday, President Catherine Connolly spoke of the fundamental right to have a home. It is now clear that it will require a change of government if that right is ever going to be honoured.”