State must lead on housing delivery
State must lead on housing delivery - The Labour Party
- Poolbeg delays show Government housing failure
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has called on Government to intervene urgently to guarantee the delivery of social and affordable homes at the Irish Glass Bottle site in Poolbeg, warning that continued delays will deepen the housing crisis and leave more families trapped in homelessness. Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil today, Deputy Bacik said the Taoiseach failed to engage with the real concerns being raised about housing delivery, instead relying on familiar statistics while offering no meaningful action to ensure homes are built.
Deputy Bacik said:
“Families across Ireland are paying the price for this Government’s failure to deliver housing. Every day more children are growing up in emergency accommodation and more people are losing hope that they will ever have a secure place to call home. Behind every homelessness statistic is a family whose life has been turned upside down.
“Today I raised the cases of two mothers who have spent more than a year without a permanent home despite doing everything asked of them. One is caring for a child with significant disabilities who requires round-the-clock medical care. Another has watched her child’s wellbeing deteriorate while trying unsuccessfully to access every available Government support. These are not isolated cases. They are becoming increasingly common because this Government has normalised record levels of homelessness.
“The uncertainty surrounding the delivery of social and affordable homes at the Irish Glass Bottle site is deeply concerning. There is a clear agreement to provide 900 much-needed social and affordable homes on this site. Those commitments must be honoured. The Taoiseach’s response today simply repeated the same statistics we have heard time and again, while failing to engage with the serious concerns about delays or with the need for a different approach.
“Once again, the Taoiseach dismissed Labour’s proposal for a State construction company without addressing the fundamental issue. The evidence is clear that an overreliance on the private market is not delivering the homes Ireland needs. The State must take a far more active role in building social and affordable housing and in ensuring planning agreements are enforced. Labour is calling on Government to guarantee delivery at Poolbeg, accelerate the construction of public housing across the country and use every available power to tackle homelessness. Families deserve secure homes, not more delays. Government must act now.”