People need to see an emergency response to the housing crisis, not pointless reports
The latest Housing for All progress report shows that the Government continues to be in denial about the scale of the crisis, according to Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan.
Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s spokesperson on housing, said:
“This so-called progress report does not shed any light on how this Government will get to grips with the crisis – rather, it presents 53 pages of rehashed information and political spin.
“There are some glaring omissions in the report. For instance, it contains no affordable housing delivery figures for the first half of 2023 and fails to mention that last year’s affordable housing targets were missed by some distance. It is also disappointing, but not surprising, that 13 actions in the Housing for All plan have been delayed.
“The scale of delivery under this Minister for Housing has been pathetic. Just 323 affordable purchase homes and 684 cost rental homes were completed last year when the Government had promised 4,100 affordable homes.
“Housing is the most pressing issue facing people in this country. Rents continue to skyrocket, house prices are past their Celtic Tiger peak, hundreds of thousands of young adults are stuck living at home and homelessness is at its highest level in the history of the State.
“People need to see an emergency response to the housing crisis. Pointless reports filled with future promises will help no one.”
July 11, 2023