Louth TD slams Minister's performance in delivery of housing

Action is needed right now on housing from a minister that is “good at bluster” but “short on the delivery of housing targets”, Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has told the Dáil.

The first week back in Leinster House following the summer recess saw the Social Democrats table a motion on affordable housing where opposition TDs railed against the missed targets by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.

Deputy Ó Murchú said the current rents and house prices were “unaffordable” and “the situation is getting worse”. He said: “The fact is that we know what people are looking at when they are looking at daft.ie, even in respect of the town of Dundalk.

“In Dundalk and its surrounds there are approximately ten houses for somewhere between €1,200 for a standard house up to €2,750 per month. Again, we have all seen higher rents than that. It just so happens that is all that is available. When we talk about unaffordable housing, we are also talking about unavailable housing”.

Homeowners were also facing a tough time, with rising interest rates. Ó Murchú said: “We need to see the Government step up because it is all well and good giving out about our proposal (for mortgage interest relief), which was time-constrained and targeted, but people require help and we need to see a Government that is willing to give it.”

The Sinn Féin TD said accelerated delivery is urgently needed, with options such as modular housing, timber frame housing and 3D concrete printing on the table. He said: “We need to see scaling-up on a major level. We need to see targets.

"We can all talk about the lack of affordable and cost-rental units being supplied by each local authority. It is straightforward for me to talk about it because the number is zero for Louth County Council. This will not wash.

“The Minister was in the House. He is able to bluster and he is good at it. On some level, if we were not dealing with such a serious issue, I would nearly commend him.

“On some level he does not care and he will say whatever is necessary, but as Deputy Ó Broin asked, where are the targets and figures and when will we see delivery?”

In addition, Deputy Ó Murchú said the government needs to intervene in the Forsa union’s industrial action in local authorities which started two weeks ago and which sees members not dealing with queries from elected representatives. He said: “The government cannot be a spectator”.

He said: “We have all seen homeless figures going through the roof, which we all expected. Even where there are supports, they are not the supports that are necessary.

“There are regular people who never saw themselves in that circumstance but have fallen into it and there are others who need additional resources and those are not being supplied in any way, shape or form.

“People are making the decision to leave for Canada, Australia and everywhere. That is people with good jobs. It is not sustainable. It is not good enough.”

Deputy Ó Murchú added: “We have had housing advocacy organisations talking about what is wrong, but now the IDA and IBEC are talking about it. It is a pure disaster. We will bring the system down. We need to see action and we need to see it now.”