Minister for Housing declines invitation to engage with Docklands forum on need for social housing
Labour Dublin City Councillor Dermot Lacey has criticised the failure of the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy to attend a meeting with the Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum to discuss the need for social and affordable housing in the area, while the Minister resorts to blaming local authorities for the lack of progress on homelessness.
Cllr Lacey said:
“The Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum which is a statutory body of the Department of Housing, and of which I am a member, has repeatedly asked the Minister, who is a local TD to meet with the body to discuss the provision of social and affordable housing, and other matters in the Dublin Docklands.
“Under the terms of the SDZ and development projects underway in the Docklands, up to 1,700 new homes will be developed in the area with many close to completion. Under planning law known as Part V, a minimum of 170 units would be available for purchase to use as social housing, that would a big difference in the city centre area and the long housing waiting list.
“However, the Minister’s Department won’t approve the necessary funding to ensure the minimum rate of 10% social housing under Part V is provided. Nor has there been any efforts from his Department to ensure an affordable housing scheme is delivered in the area. This shows the absolute failure of the Department of Housing to deliver.
“Meanwhile, the Minister for Housing is now resorting to blaming local authorities for the failure to tackle homelessness, yet he is refusing to meet with a statutory body in his own constituency, and his Department has shown no interest in ensuring that social and affordable housing is delivered in the developing docklands area.”