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EMPLOYERS GROUP IBEC has called on the Government to seek EU permission to spend €1 billion on social housing.
The recommendation was contained in the group’s proposals for how the government should react to Brexit in the October budget.
Multinationals are increasingly viewing the homelessness crisis in Ireland as an obstacle to economic growth. Intel and Apple recently called on the government to address the lack of housing for staff.
In May, a report from government body the Housing Agency revealed that there are around 230,000 vacant houses around the country, most of them in private ownership.
Charities that work with homeless people have called on the government to issue compulsory purchase orders for some of these properties, to house the country’s almost 6,000 homeless people.
Moreover, there over 2,751 housing units in local authority ownership lying vacant, according to new statistics released under Freedom of Information legislation.
Action plan
Minister Simon Coveney is due to announce a housing action plan before the end of July, while Fianna Fáil have called for further local authority funding to refurbish units already owned by the state.
In a statement this morning, Ibec said that spiralling housing costs are placing too big a financial burden on working families.
The group added:
They are making Ireland a less attractive place to live and work and are adding to wage pressures.
“Ireland needs between 35,0000 to 40,000 new homes each year, of which around 11,250 should be within the four Dublin local authorities.
Last year, only 2,800 new units were built in Dublin.
Ibec have called on the government to seek a derogation from the European Commission rules, on social grounds, and spend €1 billion on social housing, outside of their current fiscal framework.
The business lobby group also called for greater investment in transport, education, housing and broadband infrastructure.
“We have the fastest growing population in Europe, but the third lowest level of investment in the EU,” the statement added.
They want the government to attract businesses and staff from the UK by raising by €1,000 a year the threshold at which staff here are taxed at the higher 40% rate.
They have also called for more tax breaks for entrepreneurs.
Ibec director of policy Fergal O’Brien said:
“We have an opportunity to re-position post-crisis post-Brexit Ireland as a nimble, dynamic, pro-business and pro-entrepreneurship economy.
If we get it right, we’ll reap the rewards in terms of new jobs, quality investment, better public services and improved living standards.
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Didn’t they only say just last week that we were doing fantastically well?
Cut the ESRI altogether….that should save a good few bob !!!!!!!!
Yeah, if we get rid of all the people saying we need to close the gap between governent spending and revenue then maybe it’ll all just go away.
The ESRI do not exactly have a credible record as economic advisors.
Yes if we cut the ERSI from the public purse maybe they might start getting it right in the world of sink or swim.
Yes daniel they did but that was last week :-)
its only an extra 400 million say it fast doesn’t sound much …
Down with that sorta thing
Careful now
How can u cut more and more and expect growth ,, it just doesnt make sense
What do you want us to do, follow the examples of Germany and Holland, who are still performing reasonably well and have low debt.
FG/FF will never do that, and their excellent track record of only bankrupting the state 4 times in 90 years is proof of that.
Absolutely nothing is being done at the moment for the domestic economy, indeed August has been the worst month to date for company insolvencies. The SME’s, the domestic economy are dying, but then again they are only with the rest of the little people and are well below the concern of FG/FF. Always have been, always will be.
What kind of salaries are ESRI academics on? Wasn’t it one of the cheerleaders of a ‘soft landing’? More calls for a tow from the Titanic.
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