1 week Ago
When things go sideways there is a modern political penchant for summoning a state-appointed “superhero” to be dropped in to deliver, where governments fail. Think Elon Musk, and his chainsaw, to save countless billions for American taxpayers. It didn’t happen.
Now, Nama chief Brendan McDonagh is being touted as a possible new “housing tsar”. He has distinguished himself in every role he has ever held. And he may well be the man to fix the dysfunctional mess that our property market has become.
However, he may also become a convenient scapegoat should the required fix not be found. The row over whether he may keep his current Nama salary of €430,000 should he take the post is a distraction. A more pertinent issue might be: is it necessary to appoint anyone at all? Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris have pledged repeatedly that housing is their top priority.
So why have a new Strategic Housing Activation Office? The entire country could be carpeted with reports on what we are doing wrong, and how we can correct our housing policy. The only possible solution is to massively scale up on the delivery of new homes. One could be forgiven for thinking successive governments have been setting targets with their eyes closed.
Failure to meet demand has been consistent. But changing this goes beyond any one pay cheque or top-level appointment. The Cabinet has to apply a strict “all-in” vision directing policy.
It must concentrate on one target, with one intention; and that’s the provision of homes. Many have yet to be convinced that the Government recognises that a home is an absolute basic need – not something to be traded or promoted as an asset, or store of wealth. Yes, it is to be welcomed that pressure is to be put on state bodies to sell sites to the Land Development Agency.
And that the State is also looking to free the agency, to build more private housing. But if output is actually to be accelerated, a step change is needed, with every resource the State has mobilised. More social, affordable and private homes are needed, on an unprecedented scale.
But as to why we need any new entities, it’s debatable at best. Truly making the ones we already have more efficient and productive might make for a better start. Stopping delays and limiting third-party objections is also imperative.
Critically, the kind of magical thinking that the market will find its own way, without massive state involvement in building, must be called out. A simplification of goals and roles is also required. If targets are missed there has to be accountability.
Departments and agencies can’t continually get in each other’s way. We have just set a new emergency accommodation record high of 15,418. As Focus Ireland chief Pat Dennigan put it: “Homelessness is not inevitable, but rather a consequence of policy choices.
” Mr Martin has repeated “the big social issue of our day is housing”. The Taoiseach is of course correct. He has also been around long enough to know where the buck really stops.
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