McDonald claims Government's 'entire approach to housing has failed'

Woman looking at houses and flats in the window of an estate agent in London, UK renting rent to let generic stock

The Government will not meet its housing targets for this year and such failures amount to a disaster for those seeking to buy a home, the Dáil has heard.

During Leaders’ Questions, Sinn Féin and the Labour Party attacked the failure of the Government to meet its own housing targets, which are themselves insufficient to meet the demand for housing.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald cited comments by Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath last week where he said while the target for direct social housing building in 2022 is 9,000, he said: “We do not believe at this juncture that 9,000 will be met.” 

Ms McDonald said that despite Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s repeated refrain that housing is the single biggest social issue facing the Government, what we see is failure to plan and failure to deliver.

“The Government promised 9,000 social homes this year. By the end of June, it had delivered only 1,765. It promised 4,100 affordable homes this year. It has delivered only 925 to date. This means the Government will miss its social and affordable housing targets for the third year in a row,” she said.

She said that homelessness is at a historic high and even with the ban on evictions, it is likely to rise. 

“Child homelessness has increased by a staggering 51% since April 2021. It beggars belief that any member of the Government could claim its housing policies are working. Does the minister, Deputy McGrath, accept that not alone is the Government missing its targets but, in fact, its entire approach to housing has failed?” 

Ms McDonald also said that the Government is €2bn behind in its annual housing spending. That is not likely to change in the next six weeks. 

“That means €2bn is sitting there while people watch housing prices go through the roof and know they have no chance of affording their own home. while young mothers and fathers and their children squeeze into the box rooms of their own parents' homes and while families languish for years on council housing waiting lists.” 

In response, Mr McGrath said the overall target for housing output of all forms in the current year is 24,600 in the Housing for All strategy. “We are confident that number will be significantly exceeded,” he said.

He said the target for new social housing in the Housing for All plan is 10,500. That is principally made up of new builds. 

“We currently estimate we will build approximately 8,000 new homes but that will be supplemented by purchases and leases of new homes. In our view, that will bring us close, if not in a position to reach, the overall target of 10,500 social housing additions to the stock in 2022, which is the highest number in this country for a long number of years,” he said.