IT WILL BE OCTOBER before the government’s revised Housing for All plan will be published, according to Tánaiste Simon Harris. 

It had been expected the new plan would be published in July, however in June the Taoiseach confirmed that the publication would be pushed out until September. 

Asked about when the public might see this new plan, Harris told The Journal that a “draft plan” will go to Cabinet “within the next couple of weeks”, with the final plan expected to be published in October. 

Budget day is taking place on 7 October, with expectations that the new plan will be published close to that date. 

Harris said the matter was discussed at a recent Cabinet committee on housing last week. 

“In many ways, I think we’ve started the housing plan,” he said, stating that government has already made a number of key changes to housing policy in recent months.

These include additional funding for Irish Water, changes to the rent pressure zone rules, the publication of the new national planning framework and exemptions to planning permissions that are required for the likes of log cabins.

‘Glossy document’

He said the government has not been “waiting” around to make announcements, stating that he believes it would have been “offensive to the public” to make them wait for a “glossy document”.

The decision was taken to not hold off on the “big ideas or for a big bang plan”, he said. 

“We have made a number of key decisions… People can agree or disagree with these policy decisions, but we have already made a number of policy decisions”, added Harris. 

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He went on to state that the revised Housing for All plan will endeavor to look at the role that each department has to play in relation to the delivery of housing supply.

Tax breaks for developers not ruled out

Asked if tax breaks are on the cards for developers, Harris said the government has to look at every possible lever that can be pulled, including the cost base of building new houses for builders and developers.

“I do believe this, and I want to say this clearly today, we’ve made a number of steps as a government, a number of big, I would call them, bold, moves over the last number of months since this government came to office… to try and move the dial in terms of viability around housing, and particularly apartments.

“If we make another decision in the weeks ahead, then that has to be it. Then that has to be it. Those who are in the business of building homes and apartments, need to get on it at that stage, they need to know that that is it. So these things are over teased through the budget, but I don’t run anything out,” said the Tánaiste.