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As another €1.3 billion falls off the Dáil agenda, housing comes back into focus

Inside Politics: Through Covid and the cost-of-living crisis, remarkable policy interventions have become almost normal

Tánaiste Micheal Martin during yesterday's announcement of the government's new cost-of-living plan. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Jack Horgan-Jones's face
Jack Horgan-Jones
Wed Feb 22 2023 - 07:19

Good morning,

It’s in the nature of Irish politics these days that the cycle builds towards announcements that a few years ago would be unimaginable, before the tide rapidly goes out again. Through Covid and now the cost-of-living crisis (COL, in the Leinster House jargon), remarkable policy interventions have become, well, unremarkable. And it’s probably going to be the case again, with another €1.3 billion likely to fall off the agenda quickly enough.

So, where does all that excess political energy go? If the Dáil debate on Sinn Féin’s housing motion last night is anything to go by, back to bread and butter issues. The debate was spicy: Darragh O’Brien accused Eoin O Broin of “entering a very dangerous phase of Kellyanne Conway style alternative facts”; the Sinn Féin housing spokesman shot back that O’Brien had entered the chamber like a “petulant child” and “scurried out” afterwards. Read Sarah Burns’ report here.

Housing will be back in the frame this morning with the second stage of People Before Profit’s bill bidding to extend the ban on evictions. And at the same time, the Health Committee will hear about the fairly shocking state of the ambulance service in Dublin in particular, an issue that Sinn Féin’s health spokesman David Cullinane has been making the running on. You can read the tee-up to that committee here.

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This is comfortable ground for the opposition. Anything that paints the Government as indifferent, incapable, incompetent or presiding over services in a state of decay is a strong point for the opposition. The Coalition will accuse its counterpart of false crisis narratives, but this is stuff that resonates - and it wouldn’t unless there was some truth to it. And so, the focus moves on to the old reliables, with policies like the eviction ban taking centre stage.

Despite a rocky start for Leo Varadkar, punctuated by Damien English’s resignation and the Postergate controversy, the opposition, and Sinn Féin in particular, have struggled to land telling shots on issues like migration and the cost of living. On both issues, they’re stuck in the same space they were on Covid. They will criticise the Government’s implementation and choices, but overall their stance does not differ wildly from the Government. Sinn Féin will not dog whistle on immigration or suggest repudiating Ireland’s international obligations to asylum seekers. On spending to support households, one party source concedes: “Any Government would spread the money”.

In the medium term, managing the impact of inflation on peoples’ real incomes is a potent political challenge, especially if inflation hasn’t peaked or energy bills don’t come down. But flashing the cash is unlikely to damage the Government’s standing.

So, it’s housing and health: the same as it ever was.

Best reads

Pat Leahy on the cost of living package.

Women TDs to raise online abuse they face with Ceann Comhairle.

Miriam Lord on long memories in Fine Gael.

Harry McGee sifts through the controversy at Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Kathy Sheridan on Rishi Sunak’s lack of choices.

Playbook

Dublin commuters will have to slalom past Fine Gael ministers on one of their early morning city centre canvasses, due to take place this morning. Simon Harris, Paschal Donohoe, Hildegarde Naughten and others will be in attendance trying to press the flesh and press home their key messages from this week’s cost of living announcement.

Meanwhile, Minister for Education Norma Foley will be flying the flag for Fianna Fáil, fielding reporters’ questions in Blackrock.

Topical issues are shortly after 9am in the Dáil, before the PBP bill on the eviction ban at 10am. Leaders’ Questions is at midday, before questions on policy or legislation. Taoiseach’s questions runs over lunchtime. Legislation on Garda oversight will be debated in the afternoon, before the Government deals with legislation on emergency oil powers acts and the Mother and Baby Homes redress scheme. In the evening, there’s a government motion on the temporary support scheme for businesses, and financial resolutions to give effect to the latest cost of living package. You can read the full schedule here.

In the Seanad, there will be statements on accommodation for asylum seekers, and a motion on working conditions in the tourism sector. The focus on working conditions continues in the evening with a Labour Party motion on the situation in the health service. The full Seanad schedule is here.

Over at the committees, the aforementioned session on ambulance services is at 9.30am. Disability and employment is the topic for the Enterprise Committee in the same slot.

Eamon Ryan is at the Transport Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny of marine accidents legislation. Patrick O’Donovan is taking revised estimates to the Finance Committee, also at 1.30pm.

In the evening, Simon Coveney is discussing the Climate Action Plan at the environment committee, while the rural hot topic of forestry strategy is getting an airing at the Agriculture committee. Both sit at 5.30pm.

The full rundown of what’s on at today’s committees is here.