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GE2024HousingLAST UPDATE | 11 Nov 2024
HOUSING HAS BEEN dubbed the most important issue as we head into the early days of the election campaign.
Today, Fine Gael set out its stall on what it plans to do to deliver more houses, if re-elected to government.
While much of the press conference was taken up with questions of Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary’s comments on teachers and Fine Gaelers reaction, Taoiseach Simon Harris today outlined the key measures at a press conference in Dublin today, announcing that Fine Gael will:
Currently the Help-to-Buy grant stands at €30,000 while the First Home Scheme only applies to new housing units.
In an unfortunate gaffe, when answering a question as to why voters should trust Fine Gael’s plan when they have been in government for the last 14 years, Harris’ “new energy” sign fell to the floor.
During his speech, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris was interrupted when the sign on his podium fell off. Harris was attempting to convince the public to trust the party with housing, despite record high homelessness during their previous term in government. #FineGael #GE2024 pic.twitter.com/azYXj52m1w
— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) November 11, 2024
Laughing off the incident, Harris went on to state the party’s proposals to build over 300,000 homes between now and 2030 will require a €40 billion investment, €10 billion of which will come from the Apple windfall.
Speaking at the Fianna Fáil manifesto launch today, party leader Micheál Martin said he was “surprised” to read reports of Fine Gael’s proposal to use the Apple Tax money to increase Help to Buy.
“Apple funding should not be used for demand-led schemes. That was agreed by the three parties in Government,” the Tánaiste said.
Speaking at the launch of the policy in Dublin this morning, Taoiseach Simon Harris said supports for first-time buyers is a red line for Fine Gael, stating that the party would not go into government with a party that would “pull the rug” from under first-time buyers.
Simon Harris says they won’t go into government with a party that wants to ‘pull the rug’ from under first-time buyers.
— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) November 11, 2024
He confirms the Help to Buy and First Home scheme will be expanded if they’re in government again.
Some opposition parties will be interested in that one. pic.twitter.com/agiIGNEU7b
Labour’s housing policy pledges to phase out the Help-to-Buy scheme over time by 2029 and develop a more income-targeted Save to Buy scheme.
There’s been some reports Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have eyed up the party as a possible third partner, so this could be an obstacle.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin have already made it clear they plan to scrap the two first-time buyer schemes gradually over a number of years.
One of the proposals in the Fine Gael manifesto is the expansion of the Rent Tax Credit to €1,500 per renter or €3,000 per couple in a bid to alleviate rental costs for tenants.
The pledge comes days after Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin told The Journal that his party planned to “at a minimum” double the tax credit.
Under Fianna Fáil’s plan, the Rent Tax Credit would be boosted to at least €2,000 after already increasing in October’s Budget to €1,000.
Aside from the measures above, the party pledges to build 12,000 social homes per year and expand the delivery of one-bed units by local authorities.
The party wants to increase affordable homes from 4,750 per year in 2025 to 12,000 in 2030.
The party says it also wants to increase the geographic spread of the affordable purchase schemes in all counties.
Harris began the press conference in Dublin today by moving to differentiate his party from that of Fianna Fáil, a party it has been in government with and been in a confidence and supply arrangement,
In a subtle dig to his old coalition partners, Harris reminded people of the “mismanagement of the country” prior to Fine Gael entering into government. He said the “scars of the recession” are still felt by many.
Harris recalled how some “bankrupt our country”, recalling that people would turn up in his constituency office in tears during those years over fears they would lose their home.
Harris emphasised the importance of housing as the greatest challenge facing Ireland, with housing being the top priority for the upcoming general election.
Fine Gael’s plan, he said, aims to deliver 303,000 new homes by 2030, with 53% receiving state subsidies.
Harris defended the moves to extend the two housing support schemes, stating in relation to the Help-to-Buy Scheme:
“Bear in mind, this isn’t some gift from the government. This is simply the government allowing you take some of your own money back that you paid in tax and put it towards a new home.”
In terms of homelessness, he said despite the largest number of social homes delivered last year since 1975, the benefit in terms of reducing homelessness was not achieved.
“I do believe we now need to see social housing allocations tweaked to support particularly families who have been in homelessness,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil leader has said if his party re-enters government, it would be seeking the housing brief again.
Harris said he would have to “bite his lip” on the matter, stating that he thinks it’s very unusual that in the early stages of the campaign, people are already divvying up government departments.
Sinn Féin has criticised moves to expand the First Home Scheme and the Help-to-Buy Scheme, with the party stating in their housing policy that the will move to scrap the supports by phasing them out gradually.
The party’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin claims the supports have only resulted in increased house prices, something both Simon Harris and Micheál Martin have dismissed.
Ó Broin has also hit out at the idea of increasing the rent credit, stating that it serves no purpose if it is not accompanied by a rent freeze.
Martin hit out at Sinn Féin’s proposal’s on housing, saying that they would “crucify” first time buyers.
“They have a very convoluted model in terms of people owning the house but not owning the land on which it is built,” the Tánaiste said.
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The Journal gets large grants and subsidies from the EU and it’s subsidiaries. So it’s journalists get prizes from the institute that pays their wages.
No need for a “debunking Fact Check” on this
@Denis Slattery: Yes: no need for debunking of something that you simply made up.
@Denis Slattery: whoa there, a deep & groundbreaking investigation into missing child migrants & this ridiculous petty ‘what aboutery’ is your input????
@Denis Slattery: Now you know two wallys that work for the journal
@Pewpew Tin: You’re one sad little virgin. You are lucky your oul one lets you squat in her box room.
@Pewpew Tin: necro creep, Saville would be proud of you. Your parents aren’t
@Pewpew Tin: Had dinner with my family, listen that empty hole in your life can’t be filled with food. Sad lonely little virgin strung out for attention he never got :)
@Pewpew Tin: oooh sick burn virgin haha
@Pewpew Tin: Im actually chuffed, I haven’t been spanked by a virgin in years
@Denis Slattery: And the source for your allegation ‘large grants’ is…?
Would some of these actually be adults that came in whilst posing as children
@Thomas Sheridan: maybe, some, but that’s the usual daily mail type reaction that misses the broader point
@Thomas Sheridan: Saw a post about a 16 year old missing migrant last week with advanced male pattern baldness. Are these lads actually around minors? Is there anyone with working eyeballs in Tusla?
They don’t care, they literally do not care, more migration bigger GDP, bigger population bigger GDP, less wealth to spread around, we all get poorer as the economy gets slightly bigger through consumption.
How many Irish children go missing every year? How many awards? Oh, right, I forgot, nobody cares!
Well done and congratulations to The Journal Investigates. Hopefully their colleagues, The Journal moderators, can do equally excellent work to clear up the multi account spammers who infect this comment section on a constant, daily basis
@Kevin Kerr: here here!!!! Funny thing is I don’t actually mind your stalking but I do get that some would be intimidated 0 fearful of your behaviour
@Kevvy kerrr: fck off
@Kevin Kerr: hi stalker, deep meaningful polite rhetoric as always!!! Right back at ya!!!! Genuine question — why you pick me????
@Kevin Kerr: Yeah be deffo good to see the back of all Stephen Kearons multiple accounts like Pat_Hazzard, noel_lee etc and the likes of the honeybadger and that hoo woo thing..all the crazy trump and kamalla bots .. and the far righ bots including the Israelis, the far left bots
@Kevin Kerr: appreciate you’re only trolling … but keep it civil, no need to go in the gutter
Missing children immigrants is one thing but when some 39 year old illegal immigrant who has destroyed their passport on a cheap flight from say Afghanistan, Nigeria or Algeria identifies as a 14 year old, well that’s another story, just not by the Journal.
Excellent work journal news hounds! You guys are the best
@Buster Lawless: yes 100%, no stone left unturned!!!!
@J B: more like an IRA nutting squad they are that ruthless.
Comments open
@Jb Walshe: It would appear so. Well spotted.
@Stephen Heffernan: perhaps they should recruit ‘jb walshe’ onto the investigative team, like a poiroit crossed with morse he is
@Jb Walshe: Nothing gets past you JB. I wonder will you be nominated for an award for that ground breaking piece of analysis.
They both folded their arms for the photo so they must be serious journalists. Congratulations on your reward, it must feel like getting a pat on the head from daddy when you used the potty for the first time, going by the pictures it wasn’t all that long ago.
Kudos! Great to see some real journalism happening, having an impact and being acknowledged.
Surely there’s some kind of accolade -award for this outstanding ( & dangerous) investigative journalism?. Then again, I’ve no doubt Patricia & Maria are in this for back slapping, well done guys, outstanding work
@Kevvy kerrr: they deserve the Roger Cook award. He was fearless.
@Kevvy kerrr: “ARE’NT” ,, bloody predictive text
@Buster Lawless: well, nobody could possibly argue with that!!!!
@Frank Mc Carthy: An entire comment thread, talking to yourself. Wow.
@FlipBip: I’ve been looking for ages for the journal.ie to carry out an investigation AND CULL of all the looners on here, even got my v own private stalker but as yet, nothing
@Frank Mc Carthy: Cool story.
@Frank Mc Carthy: once again. You should reply using the same account you posted the original on Frank / Kevvy / (I am suspecting) Buster. Now that was a massive faux pas, correcting the content of the message which was incorrectly written due to predictive text, FROM THE WRONG ACCOUNT!! Now I already knew you and Kevvy were the same person from a few days back when both accounts misspelled Kamala as Kamila in the space of a few mins of each other on separate threads. But I have a serious question to ask, would you mind answering? Have you got any form of life? How pathetic is it that you feel the need to have multiple journal accounts? You’re an embarrassing sad case tbf.
@Eoin Jackson: pewpewtim is one of theirs too and possibly freedapeople too imo.
@Eoin Jackson: what is this all about?
@Chutes: ….. and most likely Larry Betts, imo.
@Buster Lawless: methinks the multi account trolls are amalgating?????
@Chutes: what happened to ‘d paedo’ & ‘ offside again ‘….. Weren’t they under ye’re umbrella????
@Kevvy kerrr: yes I’m a multi troll account Kevvy / Frank, just been dormant for nearly 12 years, you absolute twit.
@Kevvy kerrr: Stop projecting. Stop imitating other people’s accounts. Stop being such a child!
The journal is not exactly a balanced view, everyone needs to be aware of this when reading their biased mediocre articles!
My comments have been removed twice from this article . Why ?
Congratulations to all involved. It’s not easy operating in the current environment. Respect for effort and diligence is now dismissed with nothing more than a bunch of Trumpian sound bites and clichés. If someone doesn’t like the facts, it’s the usual ‘fake news’ or MSM conspiracy. Zero engagement with the actual information and indeed reality.
They recently had a deep dive into the social media posts that provoked the riots in England during the summer. Incredibly or perhaps unsurprisingly, two thirds were from places thousands of miles away. It would be really interesting to find out how many of the posts here are from Irish people or accounts. Is this something Journal Investigates could do?
We all know there’s a huge volume of posts from abroad seeking to normalise extreme views and pull people further away from moderate and empathetic approaches to people and life. This drip feed is intended to make dangerous and inhumane policies appear normal and acceptable. We know from history and the current climate that this works. Maybe a breakdown of the exact numbers will help some people to realise that so many of these posts are not Irish and are simply there to pull us further away from a baseline of decency.
Always remember that these kind of comment sections are infested with bad actors from groups with the sole aim of stirring unrest and hate to further their political aims. There’s still a lot of decency in most Irish people. Let’s not be duped into believing everyone is now a frothing, hateful Trump supporter who sees nothing wrong with Putin, and couldn’t care less about injustice and suffering elsewhere.,
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