HOUSING IS THE “greatest and most important” social problem facing this country, the Taoiseach said in the Dáil today. 

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald hit out at the Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien during Leaders’ Questions, criticising comments he made during a Virgin Media Tonight Show debate with Eoin O’ Broin. 

“Do you think we are in a state of emergency when it comes to housing,” presenter Claire Brock asked the minister. 

“No, I don’t,” he replied, but added that “for many people it is an emergency, I recognise that”. He later said “there is an accommodation crisis”. 

McDonald said the comments were “incredible”.

She read out personal stories her office had received in the last 24 hours, with people speaking about having to move home with their parents, young people considering emigrating, and others struggling to get on the property ladder.  

“A father close to tears every day, a mother on medication to cope with the stress, young people feeling depressed, looking to emigrate, children wracked with anxiety and fear, families living in a state of panic,” McDonald told the Dail.

“I’ve given you just a sample of stories. This is a housing emergency. Is it not?” she asked the Taoiseach. 

He replied by stating that he would not play Sinn Féin’s populist games, accusing the party of being populist on a range of issues. 

“We do not understate the seriousness for many people,” he said. McDonald has not put forward one single proposal, said Martin. 

Housing for All 

The Taoiseach defended the Government’s housing plan, stating that it has built the highest number of homes in the last year since 2008.

He said: 

Be in no doubt this government sees housing as a key priority, and it’s a pillar of the Programme for Government and a lot has been done over the past two years.

“We are increasing the supply of housing and the plan is working. We all accept the challenges for people out there but the answer is to build more houses, to get supply up along with a range of other policies.

“I’ve said this repeatedly, I have seen no alternative to Housing for All from anybody, from your party or from anybody.”

“So we will go over 24,600 (homes) towards the end of this year. There were 28,000 homes built in the 12 months to September 2022,” he added.

“The plan is working. But we need to build more houses, we need to build them more quickly. There were more than 16,000 first time buyers in the past 12 months, that’s the highest since 2007 and represents 33% of all house purchases.

“House completions, commencements, permissions, home purchases, first time buyers, mortgage drawdowns are all up to record levels. So we’ve had the highest housing delivery since 2008,” said Martin. 

Mica families 

Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle raised the issue of Mica families that are in need of rented accommodation when their homes are being rebuilt. 

He said the Government does not recognise the urgency of the situation, stating that if 300 houses need to be rebuilt, then that is 300 families who will need somewhere else to stay.

He asked why a similar call out for pledged accommodation for Ukrainians could not be made for Mica families. He said it “can be done quickly for Ukrainian families, and rightly so, but why hasn’t it been done for Donegal families as well”. 

The Taoiseach pointed out that accommodation for Ukrainian refugees is not impacting on social housing supply. 

Rapid build housing will be used more and more for social housing and “in terms of Mica”, he said.