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LAST UPDATE | 11 Sep 2024
A NUMBER OF changes need to be made to the government’s Housing for All plan, according to Taoiseach Simon Harris.
Speaking on the first day of the Fine Gael party think-in in Tullamore today, he said the policy, which was launched in 2021, “is a really good starting point”.
However, he stated that when the government publishes its revised housing targets shortly, it will be accompanied by an “updated” Housing for All document.
While the Taoiseach would not be drawn on the date of the next election, he said his party will set out Fine Gael’s housing ambition in its manifesto.
He told reporters that unlike Sinn Féin, his party is committed to retaining the Help-to-Buy Scheme and the First Home Scheme ”for the lifetime of the next government”.
Prior to that, the government will agree the updated version of Housing for All plan, he said.
Revising and publishing the new housing targets is “really important” in terms of providing certainty to the construction sector, he added.
When asked if the policy needs to change majorly, Harris said the new plan will address issues around zoning.
“We’ve already started the preparatory work in telling our local authorities to be ready to play their part in making sure 50,000 new homes can be delivered,” he said.
He added that including student accommodation into the housing targets also needs to happen.
“I think there’s very real issues around why student accommodation isn’t currently included in housing targets. We need to. I think there’s a consensus around that, because for every student accommodation bed you build, you’re actually freeing up maybe a maybe a three-bed semi for a family to rent or buy. So there’s a knock on effect there,” he added.
In terms of the performance of the local authorities when it comes to house delivery, he said:
“There’s not a consistent enough approach across our local authorities to certain things, including, including specs for homes that they build and the likes. So I do think there’s a way we could adopt a more consistent approach to standards and the likes that could actually help speed up the delivery of homes and potentially reduce the costs,” Harris said.
His comments comes as government signed off on an additional €100 million spend on the government’s First Home Scheme.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien brought a memo to Cabinet yesterday seeking approval for the expansion of the scheme.
The First Home Scheme provides first-time buyers an option for the government and certain banks to pay up to 30% of the cost of a new home in return for a stake in the property.
The existing fund for the scheme encompassed €480 million.
Around 11,000 buyers have registered for the scheme since it launched in July 2022 and over 5,400 applicants have been approved for the funding – though in a quarterly update published in July, the company behind the scheme said that just 1,914 people have been able to buy home using the incentive to date.
The same update detailed that the average level of support received by each buyer was €65,803.
Sinn Féin has criticised the First Home Scheme, saying that it is not helpful to home buyers in the long-run and that the party would abolish it if elected to Government.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said in a recent debate that the First Home scheme “piles additional high risk debt onto buyers”.
With reporting by Christina Finn
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Simon is deeply worried
Simon is deeply concerned
What politician is going to be deeply what . next ?
@ballbreaker: Minister for Truly, Madly.
@ballbreaker: too much listening to savage garden I think… Fly him to the moon someone!
@Brown Boots: I was humming to Right Said Fred’s deeply dippy
Simon should just grow a pair and stop watching the media
@ballbreaker: will North Korea target the People’s Republic of Cork?
Minister Coveney stated that we should “Deploy the fleet” before being hurriedly ushered off stage.
@Tom: lol
@Tom: our only military ship is busy working as a taxi for migrants
@Tom: I feel such a huge sense of relief hearing that Mr Coveney is so outraged!
@Alt Left: we do have more than one ship you know.
@Piarais Mac Maoláin: brilliant
@Tom: Comment of the day!
@Piarais Mac Maoláin: N1
Coveney’s on fire.
North Korea’s missile defence system is terrified.
@Keelan O’neill: when will the the ANTI WAR movements start organising protests against north Korean regime. .!!
@Bobby wilson: They are saving theirs angst for whoever dares confront Commie Kims.
Simon Coveney was an utterly dismal failure as Minister for Housing.
Why is he still a minister?
(Actually why is he even a TD? He didn’t earn hhis seat. He just inherited his Dad’s)
a bit like kim jong un…..
@Colin Morris: True, he just about scraped enough preferences to be elected. He looks the part but lacks the qualities to be a minister although in fairness he is brilliant at telling lies.
@Colin Morris: he did nothing for the badgers either when he was Minister for people with tractors. Oh, dem culls are terrible and not very scientific but sure we’ll keep going with them anyway. Lot of outrage. Little in the way of doing.
In other news, Khaltmaagiin Battulga the president of Mongolia has expressed deep concern at the increase in homelessness in the Republic of Ireland.
Sinister Coveney during an interview on Morning Ireland made an impassioned plea that, “Measures are in place” for the island of Ireland should the world fall prey to a nuclear holocaust and that these measures would be fully implemented by July 31st 2018.
@Frank Cauldhame:
Will Iodine tablets be sent to all households again, I still have mine.
@Liam P Lally: “I would ask that anyone applying for iodine tablets would first be sure to visit our website, http://www.iodine-innit.ie, to find out which variant of iodine to use and the turnaround times for receiving same.”
@Frank Cauldhame: do you need a PSC ?
@lavbeer: Erm, its not compulsory but…..
@Liam P Lally: they have long passed their expiry date, another incredible waste of money by our government, I think FF were in power when they were sent to every house.
Maybe Team America was right and he’s just ronery and he’s crying out for attention.
@Barry O’Brien: he used to be bellicose you know. But that was 2016
Thank God we have a top of the range a missile deflector system in place.Those two army Cessna planes are on standby.Oh,and we have a few lads with rifles too.Ah sure we’re grand.
@gerry fallon: The problem is, Gerry, you would need pilots to fly those two planes.
Here’s an idea simon, how about worrying about the homeless, suicide, and hospital waiting lists in Ireland you muppet.
North Korea can wait.
@Trevor Hayden: but he sorted that by July didn’t he..
Most worthless and useless headline and statement that was ever written right there!!
@Nigel O’Neill: ___Why? It’s not unusual for politicians to make pronouncements about other countries’ actions. It provides a mechanism for a country to engage in discussing its national response and indeed, in some cases, actions. Or, perhaps you feel Ireland should not have that right?
In this same statement he also went full North Korea by encouraging the British government to discard the democratic decisions of the British people to leave the EU.
The poor thing. He must be very stressed. How about worrying about the lack of housing or something meaning to the country?
Eh, get your geography right, Journal.ie. The missile crossed Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of Japan lies between Japan and Korea, or, in other words, off the west coast of Hokkaido. The missile landed off the east coast of Hokkaido, the Pacific Ocean.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: Jesus who cares? Somewhere near Japan was good enough for me. I never heard of that Ireland sized country before Hokithido before.
Kim Jong-un must be beside himself knowing Coveney is ‘deeply worried’. Stop the lights!
@TheoWolfe: There is no room beside him.
He was t deeply worried about the housing crisis when absconded over to foreign affairs.
I’m sure he’s cacking his jocks whilst mincing about on his holidays…….
Thank you for the comments, they have given me a great laugh.
Kim Jong Un should be fearful. The Skibbereen Eagle is watching.
He must have drawn the short straw when it came to the number of spaces available in the governments nuclear bunker.
deeply worried = must act and look worried..
deeply concerned = i’m in for some browny points….
We’re worried about what Coveney is up to every day, never mind North Korea every few weeks!
About time that they strap Kim Jong-un to a missile and launch him over the Sea of Japan.
Recklessly dangerous buffoon.
Does our wonderful government currently have the ability to reach out to the nation via txt message in the event of a national emergency or will the just rely on RTE and dobson ??
Joe 90 and the sound bites almost as bad as the strutting peacock with children’s socks.
Because Kim could give a flying F word about how Coveney feels…….
Good to see the minister talking a hard line
KIM WEE SON has not slept all night after he heard minister coffee is deeply concerned .
Im sure the little fat guy will go straight to the talks table when he reads how worried simple Simon is.
What a total total plum!!!
I am sure North Korea is upset. Simon, don’t be so silly.
What’s he deeply worried about. Not being leader of FG might be justified but North Korea
Idiot coveney. He’ll probably start blaming it for the Irish housing crisis next!
Why would Coveney be worried?. He will hardly have to fire any of his missiles at Kim Jon.
The Guy is a embarrassment a complete and utter tool .
LOL..As if Kim Jong Ding Dong would listen to this Clown.Coveney Get back to making a balls of your lame job at home..You fool..!
Updated with a completely different story lol!
OK so. there is only emergency alert written in English and the rest is Japanese! I admire Japan slot but this is a fail! I think 90% of the safe people are going to be Japanese and I can see why!
Simon friken Coveny.
Who the flip is he to skutter on?
North Korea must be shaking in their boots now that Coveny had said it’s unacceptable.
Our idiot politicians need to keep the gob shut.
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