Housing Minister must deliver new housing plan in tandem with Budget 2026
Housing Minister must deliver new housing plan in tandem with Budget 2026 - The Labour Party
- Investment needed to boost construction workers
- Tax breaks for developers lack any strategic purpose
Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD has urged the Housing Minister to set a timeline for the publication of Ireland’s new housing plan.
As building delivery estimates continue to be scaled down, Sheehan called for targeted action to support those living in housing insecurity.
Deputy Sheehan said:
“The pre-Budget kite flying in housing is galling and unnecessary. Rather than producing costed, targeted housing measures, this Government seem set to trundle on with more of the same.
“Tomorrow the Department of Housing will publish the latest figures of people living in homelessness, a growing crisis that Minister Browne seems to have accepted as a fait accompli. Let me be clear, there is no acceptable level of homelessness.
“We need to see the publication of the new housing strategy that reflects the people’s needs. It needs a clear focus on recruiting, retaining and upskiling construction workers. The ESRI reports today that wages in construction are rising rapidly which is increasing the cost of a home, and decreasing the likelihood of homeownership for many.
“The Programme for Government commits to a target of 12,500 new apprentices a year by 2030. With only 30,000 apprentices in the labour market at present, we need to see a breakdown on the measures this Government will take to drive these figures up and encourage more people to take up apprenticeships.
“The time lag between information coming to light and action being taken is stark under this Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil coalition. In February of this year, IFAC warned Government that an increase in construction workers would be required to meet house building targets, to carry out retrofitting projects and to ensure we are resourced to deliver on infrastructure projects.
“It’s simply not good enough to rely on private developers who we know are pausing projects while waiting for more tax breaks or planning clarity. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil clearly have short memories when it comes to inflationary measures like this and its impact on the housing market.
“Time and again, Labour has proposed realistic, costed solutions that would drive home building and ensure that the State steps up to protect people living in housing insecurity. We would expand the remit of the Land Development Agency to deliver homes directly. We would introduce ‘use it or lose it’ clauses for planning permissions to prevent speculative land-hoarding. And we would redirect money from the Strategic Investment Fund into low-risk, socially vital homebuilding here in Ireland.
“The reality is we need at least 300,000 homes and no amount of buck passing is going to deliver a single home. The level of demand is not just a crisis, it’s a clear investment case. Housing for All has failed. The State must now step up, lead from the front, and build at scale. But until the new housing plan is published, we are none the wiser on how Government will address the crisis of our time.”