merrion street

The provision of proper housing for our people is central to the mission of the partnership government, and it a key objective of the programme for government. One of the main features of the recent economic crisis was the near collapse of the construction sector and the massive reduction in the number of homes being built.
In effect, the many families who are today living in inadequate or emergency accommodation are still suffering the consequences of past economic mismanagement in a very real and distressing way.
The Programme for Partnership Government committed us to delivering an Action Plan for Housing so that by 2020 we would see 25,000 new homes being built in this country every year.
Today, we are honouring that promise – and well within our deadline of 100 days in office. The Plan is ambitious in its vision and in its scale of investment. It will take engagement across the Government, the involvement of local Government, and the commitment of the entire sector to deliver it. But it is well founded – the Minister for Housing and his team have researched and consulted widely in drawing it up – and it is realistic. It is also urgently necessary.
Addressing the housing challenge fully and finally is a key objective of this Government. There is nothing more fundamental to a sense of security in the world than having a home, and being safe within it.
The economic turmoil in Ireland in recent years has resulted in a situation: where we are not building enough houses; where those wishing to buy their first home struggle to afford it; where there is insufficient social housing for those that need to access it; where too many people find themselves homeless and in inappropriate accommodation.; where pressures in the rental sector have driven rents beyond what many people can reasonably afford; and where the shadow of deep unresolved mortgage arrears hangs over people’s lives.
Addressing any one of these issues would be a big task. Tackling them together in a comprehensive way, will be complex and demanding, but we are determined to rise to the challenge.
Today, in our Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, we are setting out clearly how we will do so. Minister Coveney will brief you on the detailed proposals in the Plan entails.
But I would like to pay tribute to him and his team for the how they have worked closely and collaboratively with Ministers across Government in drawing it up.
He has consulted stakeholders and he has taken on board the recommendations made in the report of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness, which was published on 17 June following its own detailed and extensive consideration of the issues.
I would pay tribute also to the Committee’s approach, and commend it for the speed and seriousness with which it went about its task.
This Action plan sets out a clear roadmap towards a country where we have the kinds of housing that people want, in the right places and available to them in a way that they can afford. It will result in a significant increase in the ambition and speed of delivery of social housing in particular.
Minister Pascal Donohue has made sure that there will be €5.5 billion available for social housing and infrastructure at a time when pressure for spending across the economy is considerable.
The scale of this investment reflects the seriousness of our purpose. Our Plan will also help boost private housing construction and improve the rental market. We will build on it in the forthcoming budget, when Minister Noonan will take further steps to underpin the policies we are announcing here today.
The plan also maps out important steps towards ending the use of unsuitable long-term emergency accommodation and includes additional measures to support those who find themselves in very difficult circumstances.
The drafting of this Action Plan has been a collaborative process involving a wide range of interests, and its successful implementation will rely on all stakeholders to achieve its ambitious goals.
It includes more than 80 key actions, each of which is assigned to specific Departments and Agencies, each of which is time-bound and each of which is subject to regular Cabinet review.
The implementation of its actions will be actively overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Housing, which I chair, and I and my Department will work closely with Minister Coveney to ensure that each commitment in the Action Plan is delivered.
There will be no task we will undertake as a Government that will have such a direct impact on people’s lives and we will continue to attach the highest priority to it.