Final decision on construction reopening due next week

Darragh O'Brien has rejected criticisms of two housing Bills being put forward by him around a shared equity loan scheme and the Land Development Agency.

A final decision on reopening construction on March 5 will not be made until next week, the Housing Minister has said.

Darragh O'Brien has also moved to strongly reject criticisms of two housing Bills being put forward by him around a shared equity loan scheme and the Land Development Agency.

Asked about the easing of level five restrictions, which has resulted in 700 to 800 few houses being built each week, Mr O'Brien said: "Obviously we have a target date of March 5, a review will happen next week.

"I've been working with stakeholders in the sector, I fully recognise the essential nature of providing homes for people, government does as well, but it is a government-wide decision.

"First and foremost is public safety, making sure we're suppressing the virus," he said.

House prices

Mr O'Brien defended his proposed shared equity scheme despite concerns from the ERSI that part of the bill "will very likely lead to higher house prices".

The plan, which Mr O'Brien brought to Cabinet before Christmas, offers equity loans of up to 30% on new-build homes under €400,000.

Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien.

Mr O'Brien said he will be pressing ahead with the measures which he said will be "targeted at those who need them" and will be "focussed very very much" on first-time buyers with regional price caps in place.

Government TDs were yesterday accused of trying to force the ERSI to change their opening statement when they came before the Housing Committee to discuss the issue.

However, Mr O'Brien said: "They were open to questions yesterday, I think members on both sides of the House actually questioned them.

"The ESRI were able to clarify the fact that they hadn't looked at some of the supply side that is in the Bill and that's absolutely fine. I welcome their input into this Bill, and that was a good hearing yesterday. I think what did come out of it very clearly was there is merit to shared equity arrangements when they're targeted at the right people."

Separately Solidarity-PBP TD Richard Boyd Barrett accused the Minister of coming up with a "mechanism to pillage the public landbank" through his Land Development Agency (LDA) Bill.

Under the Bill, which is due to be debated in the Dáil today, councils will be able to transfer State lands to the LDA without a vote from councillors to put the agency on a statutory footing.

But speaking on both RTE and Newstalk, Mr O'Brien said the whole purpose of the measure is to make use of public land.

"I reject that completely that's not what it's about the land development agency is about land management is about delivering affordable, and social homes on land that's not being used right now on council land that's sitting idle.

"I've lifted the affordability threshold in this Bill up to a minimum of 50%, and many of the sites I see as being as being 100% both affordable and social," he said.