AS FIANNA FÁIL Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien presses ahead with a shared equity affordable housing scheme and a revamp of the Land Development Agency, critics have questioned whether such measures will fundamentally address Ireland’s housing crisis. 

The fallout from the recent controversy around investment funds bulk-buying homes has forced a number of hastily drawn-up policiess in response, as opposition parties call for tougher measures to tackle serial investors. 

At the same time, the government has said 33,000 new homes need to be built each year by 2030 to meet demand – but it looks like only 12,000 will be delivered this year due to Covid-19. 

Opposition parties’ scrutiny of the Government’s approach in recent weeks has placed renewed focus on the issue of housing after 10 years of Fine Gael in power. 

Most recently the Government announced new bands for Local Property Tax and committed to ensuring renters who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic will see their protections extended beyond 12 July.

Polling carried out before the 2020 General Election by the Business Post and Red C indicated that 24% of voters trusted Fianna Fáil on housing compared to 20% who trusted Sinn Féin. 

As the country emerges from the pandemic, housing is once again the core issue facing the electorate. 

As part of The Good Information Project, a new initiative from The Journal, we’ll be exploring some of the key housing issues affecting people in Ireland and today we’re asking: Which political party do you trust most to deliver on housing?