Affordable homes must be delivered – Bacik
Affordable homes must be delivered - Bacik - The Labour Party
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has challenged the Taoiseach’s claim that this Government is “doing everything we possibly can” on housing.
At Leaders’ Questions, Deputy Bacik welcomed plans to phase out turnkey acquisitions but demanded guarantees that councils and the Land Development Agency will be effectively resourced and provided with the capacity to replace these acquisitions.
Deputy Bacik said:
“I’m putting the Taoiseach on notice: this Government has one year to put the necessary staff, funding and construction capacity in place within the LDA and local authorities to enable them to deliver social and affordable homes at scale.
“That means investing in planners, architects, builders and electricians, alongside a viable apprenticeship pipeline.
“On Saturday, I addressed the conference of Connect Trade Union, which represents craft workers including builders, electricians and apprentices. Their message was clear: ending the housing disaster requires establishment of a viable route into apprenticeships and investment in the skilled staff our public bodies need to build homes.
“Turning off the tap on turnkey purchases without building up the capacity of councils and the LDA would be catastrophic for people waiting for a home.
“For too long, this Government has channelled public money into buying finished homes from private developers while failing to build the State’s own capacity. Developers benefit from a ready public purchaser, while people waiting for housing remain dependent on what the private market delivers.
“We welcome the decision to phase out turnkey acquisitions. But closing applications at the end of 2027 without building up public delivery risks a sharp fall in social housing output from 2028.
“The Taoiseach’s claim that this Government is doing “everything possible” simply does not stand up. Once again, he sought to shift responsibility onto local authorities and wilfully misunderstood Labour’s proposal for a State Construction Company.
“Labour’s proposal is clear: transform the LDA into a State Construction Company and ramp up resourcing of local authorities, so that the State can build homes directly and at scale. The Taoiseach should engage with that proposal and explain how he will guarantee delivery through this transition.
“Ending an expensive dependency on private developers will only work if this Government builds the public capacity to replace it. Without that investment now, people waiting for social housing could pay for this policy change through even longer waits.”