Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

As mentioned earlier, a social housing development which was going to deliver 34 social houses and eight affordable-to-buy houses in a project between an approved housing body and a local co-operative, facilitated by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, has collapsed because the preferred tenderer has pulled out, citing hyperinflation in the construction sector. These are badly needed social and affordable houses, so this is a pretty devastating blow in a situation where there is a desperate crisis in our area in terms of the lack of social and affordable housing.

I put it to the Taoiseach that not only does he need to intervene on this, but the problem is the council cannot even give it to the other tenderers because of the time limits of the tendering process, and so on. This contractor who has pulled out is also involved in another social housing project in the area. This calls into question the entire Housing for All strategy. If a contractor can pull out based on hyperinflation, because it cannot make money, this can happen at any time. We know there is hyperinflation going on in the construction sector and profiteering, arguably, around the housing crisis. We need intervention around this particular project but, actually, it speaks loudly to the need for a State construction company to deliver on the social and affordable housing targets. We cannot be in a situation where, in terms of the delivery of social and affordable housing, we can be held hostage by contractors who can just pull out on the basis they have decided something is not profitable for them. I ask seriously whether we need to consider the establishment of a State construction company to deliver social and affordable housing. Otherwise, we could find our entire project in that regard under serious threat.

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