All plans, no solution

SINCE rough sleeper Jonathan Corrie was found dead in a doorway 33 months ago, there have been 29 housing strategies launched, by three different ministers, over the course of two Dáils. Looking at the results – a few new shelters opened, but little of note to address the issue in the long term – it is hard not to conclude that this is gesture politics, designed to create the illusion that something is being done.

Some schemes, such as Help to Buy, have been effectively scuppered by rising house prices, while others simply have not got off the ground due to inertia.

New Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy protests that there will be over 2,000 new homes available before the end of the year, but that, as we know, is the tip of the iceberg. It always seems that the more reports are produced, the less gets done. Somehow, he must find a clear line through the morass, and a singular focus, as we managed with social housing for most of the last century, and get the job done.