Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Internal records from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage revealed last Thursday in the Irish Daily Mail confirmed the Housing for All targets are not adequate to meet the growing need. When the Government plan was published, the Labour Party made it clear that Ireland needed close to 50,000 homes per year, rather than the target of below 30,000 under Housing for All. The Department's records show 42,000 homes per year are needed, meaning there will be a shortfall, even according to the Department's records, of over 65,000 homes by 2030. This shortfall was already clear before the publication on the census showing ongoing population growth of 7.6% since 2016. Will the Taoiseach confirm that the Government will revise the targets for housing construction and put in place new measures to deliver more homes?

We also expressed serious concern that there was no additional capital funding allocated in the Government's budget to account for construction inflation. The shortfall is even more acute because fewer homes can be built with the funding available from Government. It is clear the State needs to build substantially more housing - local authority homes on public land - if enough homes are to be provided.

I have suggested in recent weeks that the Government should invest more in the tenant in situ scheme, even in the short term, to ensure councils are empowered to buy back homes where tenants would otherwise be evicted. This would be a way of meeting housing need while ramping up the construction of affordable homes.

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