New housing plan expected to go to Cabinet next week, says housing minister
By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
The Government’s new housing plan is expected to go to Cabinet next week as the “final touches” are added to it, the Housing Minister has said.
James Browne said it would be published within the next two weeks at the latest, adding he had not been “waiting for the plan” to take action on housing.
“We’re on course to publish the housing plan next week, is when I expect it to be published. Certainly within two weeks at the absolute maximum,” he said on the way into Cabinet.
“We’re just putting some of the final touches to it obviously to ensure that it does reflect our values and our principles, but most importantly, that it will bring about that step change in housing delivery.”
He added that the plan would tackle the “how” of housing supply, adding “I wasn’t waiting on the plan” to take action on housing.
“So I think what you’re going to see is really in the plan is about the how, how we make that step change.
“We’ve pulled a huge amount of levers in the Department of Housing, Minister (for Finance Paschal) Donohoe is doing the same now in the Department of Finance, to get the finances right, to get the affordability right, and also the viability right.
“It’s really all about how we’re going to do it.”
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he was “very much looking forward” to seeing the housing plan “being finalised in the coming days”.
“I hope we’ll be in a position to bring the housing plan to government in the next week or so. I was at a number of meetings on this in the last few days, and yesterday.
“It’s important now that we pulled together all of the efforts taking place right across government in terms of how we’re going to deliver at least 300,000 homes over the next five years, and that plan should be ready in the coming days.”
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said there had been “a lot of action” on housing but he appreciated people’s desire to get more done.
He said over the last nine months, there was a VAT reduction on apartments, reform of the rental sector, change in apartment standards, and the national framework plan on zoning which would “result in a greater number of houses being built”.
“There’s been a lot of steps taken, and they will result in a great number of houses being built, and particularly apartments.”
Responding to criticism from Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne, who wrote an opinion piece in the Irish Times on Monday entitled “The Fianna Fáil I joined was the party that got things done – what happened to us?”, Mr Martin said this was what he wanted to do as Taoiseach.
“Fianna Fáil does get things done and we have got things done,” Mr Martin said, adding that he shared Mr Byrne’s “desire to get more done”.
“I’m determined to get more done. My focus has been unrelenting over the last number of weeks on the issues that matter.
“I appreciate and I think it’s a good thing that Malcolm and others are looking for acceleration and further work to be done to get more infrastructure and to get more housing built.
“I share that, I have a lot of experience, it’s why I am Taoiseach, it’s what I want to do.
“I think over the last nine months we have put a lot of foundation stones in place in terms of getting more housing built and we’re going to be unrelenting in relation to that.”
