Government accused of making housing policy at behest of property developers

Government would be repeating the worst mistakes of the past if it opted to introduce tax breaks for developers, opposition TDs say

Government called on to commit to developing a State construction company 'to end the boom and bust in housing' and use its resources to deal with consistent undersupply in the market. File picture: Larry Cummins.

The Government has been accused of making housing policy at the behest of property developers.

Labour TD Conor Sheehan said the Government would be repeating the worst mistakes of the past if it opted to introduce tax breaks for developers.

After a "lost decade" in relation to action on housing, the Government was now repeating past mistakes rather than taking real action to tackle the housing crisis.

His party colleague Ged Nash said the Government appeared to be making up its housing policy as it goes.

"When Fianna Fáil fails, their modus operandi and the default position is tax cuts," said Mr Nash.

He called on the Government to commit to developing a State construction company "to end the boom and bust in housing" and use its resources to deal with consistent undersupply in the market.

People Before Profit-Solidarity leader Richard Boyd Barrett said the Taoiseach's recent comments on housing exposed an agenda of allowing the profiteers of the housing crisis to gain more control over the sector.

"They are going to make a bad situation even worse and drive already unaffordable rents and house prices even further up to the benefit of private investors, while the human misery of the housing crisis is getting exponentially worse," said Mr Boyd Barrett.

Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O'Callaghan noted there was no mention of tax breaks for developers during the general election campaign.

Mr O'Callaghan said the Government should look at the funding mechanisms outlined in the Housing Europe report, which was published in 2023.

"That gave a whole range of funding mechanisms for affordable housing that could be used as an alternative to simply relying on investment funds," he said.

Mr O'Callaghan also called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to apologise to the people for the "misleading comments" around the housing targets for last year.

"Micheál Martin saying that he genuinely believed the 40,000 figure that he gave in the run-up to the general election, I think that stretches credibility," said Mr O'Callaghan.