LAST UPDATE | 20 Nov 2022

THE TÁNAISTE HAS said he is “worried” about the government’s ability to deliver 30,000 homes next year.

While Leo Varadkar said he is “confident” that this year’s housing target will be exceeded, he told Newstalk’s ‘On The Record with Gavan Reilly’ that he is “a little bit more worried about next year”.

This year’s target was to build over 24,000 new homes this year, and Varadkar said “it could be closer to 28,000”.

However, Varadkar pointed to a “construction slowdown” and added that the government will “redouble our efforts and intervene in any way we can to make sure that we exceed 30,000 next year”.

“In my view, we need to be building well in excess of that if we’re going to turn the corner on housing,” said Varadkar.

While the Tánaiste also said there “is no lack of financial commitment” by the government, he acknowledged there has been an underspend so far on capital spending on housing.

Varadkar pointed to “real constraints” such as availability of labour and materials, as well as the cost of materials.

He told On The Record: “While there is an underspend at the moment that looks very large, I do think that by the end of the year, if there is an underspend at all, that underspend will be much less.”

Varadkar added that “capital spending is always very lumpy” and “much harder to profile”.

He added that as a result, “it sometimes makes sense to move spending from one quarter into the next”.

The Tánaiste also said there is a “real difficulty at the moment with construction” which is linked to the war in Ukraine and resultant supply chain disruptions.

Meanwhile, Varadkar told On The Record that he is “somebody who believes in homeownership”.

“I don’t think it’s a preoccupation,” he said, “I think it’s social good.

“It’s not just about having a home that you own, it’s also about not having to pay rent when you retire.

“I know some people believe in the rent for life model, I don’t, and it’s also about having an asset that you can pass on to your kids or borrow against if you need to.”

Elsewhere, 

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has said it will bring a motion to the Dail this week to declare a housing emergency.

Eoin O Broin claimed the housing crisis has “worsened” during the two years that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has been in post.

“This Government has shown time and time again that it is incapable of getting to grips with the housing crisis. In the meantime, ordinary people across the state pay the price,” he said.

“Whole generations are locked out of home ownership, paying sky-high rents while house prices soar and the dream of home ownership slips further out of reach.”