Sir, – Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien’s wonderfully self-congratulatory letter (February 26th) about the amount of homes being supplied forgot to mention one very important thing. A substantial portion of the homes being built are being bought by corporate entities, who will charge rents at a greater rate than the mortgage would have been, preventing even those on good incomes from saving a deposit and thus being condemned to lifetime renting at extortionate rates.
Historically, governments have always built a substantial proportion of housing to cater for the less well-off and this kept housing prices and rents somewhat in check.
However, Mr O’Brien’s Government prefers not to do that, instead preferring to permanently hand over taxpayers’ money in the form of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) to force the lower-paid to compete in the private rental market, which drives up rental prices to the detriment of all renters.
The Minister’s reforms in the planning area seem to be more about lowering standards and preventing legitimate objections, and speeding up planning permissions, than actual real and considered urban planning.
Faye O’Rourke’s Christmas: ‘I have a reputation for overdoing it. I splash out. It’s not in my control’
‘I know what happened in that room’: the full story of the Conor McGregor case
Ukraine fears nuclear plants are in Russia’s sights as missile strikes bring winter blackouts
Goodbye to the 46A: End of legendary Dublin bus route made famous in song
The Minister allows the industry to dictate to him.
The real reason we have a housing crisis, and a large number of homeless people, is because of the historical neglect by his party and that of the other main party in this Coalition and their ideology on housing, which sees it merely as a financial transaction, from which to gain taxes, and still does not see the importance of home ownership as a societally significant factor in stability.
The increase in far-right activity and unrest can be attributed at least partly to the increasing unaffordability of accommodation, as people feel abandoned by their Government.
It is also driving the emigration of well-educated workers who thought a good job and good salary would enable them to buy a home and start living their own life.
Not in Ireland.
Nor does the Minister seem to understand the adage that “rent money is dead money”, which particularly applies to HAP payments.
Better for Government and the taxpayer to build its own public housing, keep and maintain it and get at least 100 years of use from it, than pay twice or three times the price of the dwelling in HAP to a private landlord and still not own it.
Paying HAP permanently to a private landlord rather than building its own supply means the taxpayer will be permanently tied to private landlords.
We will just continue to ignore the fact that 29 of the 160 TDs are landlords, who gain from high rents. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.