Paul Hosford: Darragh O'Brien must stop going around the houses if he is to tackle crisis

Affordable Housing Bill hopes to deliver up to 6,000 affordable homes within four years, add 414 new cost rental homes this year, and introduce a shared equity scheme 

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien is working to advance the Affordable Housing Bill. File Picture: Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie

There are few people — aside from tens of thousands of people looking to own a home, the Government, and many facets of the economy — who have a greater interest in solving the housing crisis than Darragh O'Brien.

When Fianna Fáil sought the twin ministries of health and housing in the midst of crises in both, it was a swing for the fences that tied the party's future and the political legacies of Mr O'Brien and Stephen Donnelly to how the next two years pan out.