MICHEÁL MARTIN HAS said he regrets shutting down the construction sector for four months this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Construction sites were closed down from late December 2020 to April 2021 as Ireland was placed under Level 5 lockdown.
Earlier this year, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said the closure of sites over that period amounted to around 10,000 houses not being built.
Given the scale of the housing crisis, the Taoiseach told The Journal that the decision to shut down construction for those four months is something he still reflects on.
“I think the only concern I would have is the locking down of housing in the second lockdown, it’s something that I do reflect on from time to time, because housing is the number one social crisis,” he said.
“We lost the guts of four months in terms of house building, we did it because we wanted to be ruthless in dealing with the Alpha wave. We succeeded in dealing with Alpha, we succeeded in rebuilding the economy. But it was at a cost in relation to the housing situation. So I do regret that.”
While Ireland was the only country in Europe to close down construction at this year, Martin said that when it comes to the average deaths in the European Union due to Covid-19, Ireland fares quite well.
“I think there would have been 3,800 more people who died in Ireland if we were at the average of the European Union,” he said.
‘Doing things differently’
However, Martin said it is his “desire not to” close down construction again.
“As we move into 2022, this is about managing things differently every time, that we don’t go back to the original model used on the first lockdown or the second lockdown, that we’ve got to learn from each phase and each wave,” he said.
Next year will be Martin’s last year as Taoiseach under this government, due to the agreement in the Programme for Government that Leo Varadkar will step into the role in December 2022.
When asked what he wants his legacy to be as Taoiseach, Martin said the pandemic has “dominated” the last year and a half.
“Getting the country through Covid is obviously my clear agenda as Taoiseach,” he said.
“As safely as we possibly can, in terms of lives, in terms of the economy, so far as regards to other countries we have done better than most,” he said.
“We’ve clearly made our mistakes too in relation to that, but I think in an overall perspective, it’s fair to say that Ireland has done relatively well in managing what has been a terrible pandemic.
“It is likely to be a significant feature of 2022 though I think we will be moving into an even better position in 2022. That is my view, I might be wrong.
“As I said, there are many twists and turns, and we are developing more resources to deal with Covid-19.”
Rotating Taoiseach
Despite stepping away from the helm at the end of next year, Martin says it doesn’t change the central direction of Government in terms of the objectives of the Programme for Government.
“It is very important that that is understood, because that is the agenda, which is around housing, health and climate change – those were the three biggies,” he said.
“I think next year we are going to see a significant move on childcare. We have already laid the groundwork in terms of this Budget, in terms of creating a framework for career pathways for people involved in childcare, next year we have to go a step forward with investments in childcare, to develop the quality, and also having the development of the child at the centre.
“But also really moving it up a gear again, I think that is something that Cabinet is anxious to do.
Another key agenda item for the Taoiseach is housing, with Martin saying that making sure that a clear change in the trajectory of housing policy “once and for all” is one of his goals.
“I think we have initiated that with Housing for All, we now have to deliver it, we are making progress now, and I want to see that through,” he said.
In terms of health, the Taoiseach said his big focus for next year will be ramping up capacity.
He hit back at criticism that pandemic restrictions have been imposed to protect a healthcare system that is buckling under pressure and under-resourcing.
“There has been a lot of capacity built up last year, 950 beds give or take, acute beds,” he said.
“We are now up to close to 300 ICU beds – resources were given for 321.
“The biggest issue facing health was the recruitment of people: there has been about 11,000 people recruited in the last two years.
“Covid gives us an opportunity to do something different. I would like to see a renewed effort on capacity in 2022, and I have put this to the Minister for Health and the HSE – we want more ICU beds again next year.”
The Taoiseach added that the aim is to reach 350 ICU beds by the end of 2022.
‘Truly groundbreaking’
Martin pointed to the Government’s record on climate change as something he is particularly proud of.
“I am particularly happy to have worked as Taoiseach and to have facilitated the emergence of [climate change] legislation, which is truly groundbreaking for Ireland,” he said.
“Given how we’ve performed to date, which hasn’t been great on climate change, I do believe this represents a fundamental shift in policy.
“The follow-through is going to be very important, very challenging, controversial even. But I’m very determined as Taoiseach to follow this through.
“And I think given the fact that we were predisposed to this and working with the Greens and Fine Gael, I think we’ve managed to create a very challenging agenda, but one that is absolutely necessary to do the right thing for the younger generations of this country and for the planet.
The Taoiseach also said he is also happy to have established the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation, which he said is going to be the “key engine for economic development over the next 50 years in terms of the research and innovation”.
He indicated that the Government has only been in office for a year and a half, and that there is a lot more to achieve.
“We want to go the full distance,” he said.
“So even though there may be changes between Taoiseach and Tánaiste, that doesn’t mean the same level of interest isn’t maintained in terms of getting these policy issues delivered across the board.”
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