22 Housing for All Deadlines Missed in 2021; Social Housing Targets Missed in 2020 and 2021; All Vacant Site Policies Delayed
Responding to the government’s Housing for All Q4 2021 Update, Aontú Leader & Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has pointed out the 22 missed deadlines in the first year of the plan and that the government
An Teachta Tóibín: “Ireland is in the middle of a national housing crisis and yet, in this government’s lifetime, we have not seen any tangible difference made to the housing crisis currently hurting families. The Minister has not met his social housing targets in his first two years as Minister. Meanwhile, the government’s progress report on the Housing for All Plan show that barely four months into the plan’s existence, 22 significant deadlines were missed in 2021. Many of these deadlines were set for Q4 2021, but are now being pushed off months if not years. The Housing for All Plan was only published in September 2021. How is it that the government is already badly missing targets that they themselves set?”
“Two reviews of housing grants, one for specific needs such as for People with Disabilities, have been delayed a year until Q4 2022. Guidelines on development plans and for Planning authorities are delayed until 2022. It will only be drafted in Q3 of 2022. Guidance on rural housing delayed three quarters. The Croí Cónaithe fund is delayed until 2022. All government plans to tackle vacant housing is delayed. Vacant housing in a national housing crisis has been one of the biggest crimes of this government and the last government. There has been no urgency at all evident in taxing and funding these homes back into use”.
“Implementation of reforms to increase output of building sector have been shelved for a full year. Implementation of Low Carbon Economy Skills reports to 2030, are now being kicked down the line until the end of 2030. Town Centre First publication has been delayed until 2022. Introduction of new CPO measures have been delayed three quarters. Even hiring a Vacant Homes Officer is delayed for three quarters! Mediocre objectives such as retrofitting as little as 2,400 social houses has been delayed for three quarters. The list of missed deadlines goes on and on. All the while the progress report excuses these missed deadlines, because the deadlines themselves were ambitious. That this government is failing their own targets is absolutely incredible.
