James Browne: As minister, I intend to get Ireland's housing right

Twelve weeks after taking up the role of housing minister, it is clear it can’t be a case of business as usual. Speeding up planning and stopping weaponisation of our court system, are two goals, writes James Browne

When taking up the post of housing minister 12 weeks ago, I set as my number one priority to meet with our housing and homelessness organisations and advocacy groups, local authority chiefs, the construction industry, approved housing bodies and others.

The mission is to remove the barriers to the supply of homes. The answer involves state-wide measures to remove these barriers in our towns and cities.

I am under no illusion as to the urgency and the complexity of the housing crisis we’re in. I want to scale up delivery as rapidly as possible so people have access to the dignity of a front door of their own.