A “REVISED” HOUSING for All plan will be published by government, Tánaiste Simon Harris confirmed in the Dáil today. 

The Tánaiste said that the new Cabinet subcommittee on housing will meet on Monday for the first time to discuss a wide range of housing measures.

“We’re committed to publishing a revised Housing for All plan as part of that,” said Harris. 

“A lot of people right across the country” want to see the government “pull everybody together and get all the levers that are necessary to address what is still a housing emergency in Ireland”, Harris said.

There are “other levers that need to be pulled by the Department of Housing, he added, stating that the lack of wastewater treatment plans is a “real constraint in terms of delivering in rural Ireland”.

“That’s an area we want to make progress on,” he said. 

Tánaiste speaking in the Dáil today. Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

When asked about the timeline for the publication of the government’s new housing plan, sources said it will take a while to work up and that it is not expected to be published next week. 

The government has come in for significant criticism from the opposition in the last week over the Taoiseach’s comments about the setting up of an alternative system to the RPZs. 

Fear among renters

Sinn Féin, Labour and People Before Profit have said his comments have caused fear among renters.

Martin said there are a number of options to consider before the legislation that governs the RPZs expires at the end of the year.

He said this includes extending them or reforming them in line with the Housing Commission report. He added that the government wants to continue to protect renters.

Speaking outside Government Buildings yesterday, Martin said he was “not responsible for all the noise that comes around” his comments.

“I said we would be protecting renters. We don’t want to cause any further pressure on renters, but nothing is coming from the opposition at all, only hyping it up, creating fears themselves and stoking fears and making false statements,” he said. 

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He added: “The bottom line is, more broadly speaking, we have to increase supply. All parties said we want to get to 50,000. The how of getting to 50,000 is the issue, and supply is the issue, and we do have to get more apartment buildings.

“We have to get more investment from the private sector. The state is expanding and increasing its expenditure. Last year alone, there was an extra billion allocated towards the end of the year to housing in light of expenditures.

He said further expenditures will be added this week in respect of housing. 

“But if people are saying we shouldn’t have a debate on this, or we shouldn’t examine proposals, I think that’s not the answer, either.

“You have to weigh up and look at every single issue, including whether we can incentivise apartment building on brownfield sites, because brownfield sites has been a policy objective of everybody for a long time, but they haven’t taken off with the level and numbers that we need in construction and housing.

“Brownfield sites have been hailed as a better solution, sustainability wise, climate wise, but there’s a real issue there in terms of unlocking the potential of brownfield sites in our cities to create a far greater number of apartments and greater supply,” said the Taoiseach. 

With reporting by Press Association