Tánaiste admits every family has been touched by housing crisis

MICHEÁL Martin has insisted the Government’s housing plan is working to provide more affordable housing.

The Tánaiste said that progress had been made, but added that the ‘fundamental’ problem was that housing demand was still higher than supply.

Mr Martin was responding to questions from Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, who accused him of ‘spin’ on affordable housing supply during Leaders’ Questions yesterday.

She criticised the Government, saying it had not met its affordable housing targets for last year, with 499 affordable purchase and 966 costrental homes delivered.

‘That’s fewer than 1,500 affordable homes when the target was 5,500,’ she said.

Ms Cairns said people who were not able to afford to rent

‘Demand higher than supply’

or buy had not failed, but that it represented a Government failure and a ‘shameful refusal to admit it’.

She described the ‘helplessness’ people felt as their life choices were limited by the high cost of housing.

The Tánaiste said every TD knew of the challenges and difficulties in being able to afford housing, and said there ‘is not a family in the country untouched by the crisis’.

Mr Martin urged the opposition parties to show them a better alternative to fix the housing crisis.

He said the Housing For All plan was the most substantive plan to hit targets to build new homes, and that the highest number of homes had been commenced in March this year compared to any year since records began in 2015.

Yesterday, the Department of Housing said that a record 11,956 homes were commenced in the first three months of 2024, up 63% on the same period of 2023. In the last 12 months (April 2023 to March 2024) 37,408 units were commenced, up 37% on the previous 12 months.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said: ‘It is clear now that supply, which is key to addressing our housing challenge, is increasing at pace and at scale. Today’s data indicates a robust stock of new housing is in the pipeline. It’s clear a number of supports to make home building viable and boost housing supply are working.’

Of the 4,900 units commenced in March 2024, 49% are scheme dwellings, 37% are apartments and 14% are one-off units. Of all the homes commenced last month, 32% were in the four Dublin local authority areas.

The Tánaiste continued: ‘Ultimately, even though we’ve delivered 100,000 homes since 2020, it’s not enough. Demand is higher than supply, which is leading to a fundamental issue leading to price increases and huge challenges for people.’

Ms Cairns said that her party had offered amendments on affordable housing to the Government’s planning reform Bill, which she said were voted down. She also said her party had sought a vacant property tax ‘with teeth’.