Social housing delivery model
Deputy Higgins asked whether the Government was committed to delivering homes despite Sinn Féin voting against social homes in Clondalkin. The Tánaiste said solving the housing crisis depends mainly on increasing supply across social, cost rental, public and private housing.
Construction is starting on 1,000 new homes in Clondalkin in my constituency, of which 30% will be social homes. Yesterday, the leader of Sinn Féin came into this House and demanded more social homes. Yet, Sinn Féin voted against these 300 social homes in Clondalkin. Why was that? It was because of the funding model. I do not think the funding model matters a great deal to people on the council housing list or to young couples looking to get a foot on the property ladder. Can the Tánaiste confirm that this Government is committed to delivering homes for people, rather than and despite the Sinn Féin model of delay, delay and delay?
Comment on this
I concur with the Deputy's remarks. It is very much my view that if we are going to solve the housing crisis, make homes more available to more people and reduce the cost of housing, well then a big part of doing that, which is probably the main part, has to be more supply. We need to be building about 35,000 homes a year in Ireland. We are not doing that and the pandemic has not helped. However, we need to do that and we are only going to do it if we build housing of all sorts, including social, cost rental, public and private and one-off housing.
Any policy which states we should ban one type of housing or restrict investment in a different type of housing will result in less housing and that will make the situation worse. When I hear the Opposition speaking about housing, it seems to be a case of not here, not there, not anywhere, not that type, not this funding model, indeed, almost any excuse that can be come up with to oppose housing. It does make me wonder whether the Opposition, or elements of the Opposition, actually want the housing crisis to end.