Aontú TD for Mayo, Paul Lawless, this week brought forward a key amendment to the boarded up council housing motion during a Dáil debate, highlighting the unacceptable delays in bringing vacant local authority homes back into use and calling for immediate, practical solutions.
“In the private sector, rental accommodation is refurbished and ready to re-let in as little as three weeks. There’s absolutely no reason why the State can’t do the same. Our amendment commits to reducing turnaround times to a two-month average and would also allow local authorities to apply for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant—something that should already be in place,” said Lawless.
Lawless went on to criticise the narrow focus of the housing debate, which he said has been dominated by supply-side solutions, with little or no acknowledgement of the rising demand that continues to outpace delivery.
“For every house we build, the population is growing by four. We have the worst ratio in the Western world. Meanwhile, the Government is not meeting even its modest housing targets. This is not just a supply problem—it’s a demand problem too, and the Government is burying its head in the sand on that fact.”
Referencing the figures published by economist Dan O’Brien and data from the Department of Trade, Lawless pointed out that in recent years the number of employment visas being issued has risen from 10,000 to over 40,000 annually.
“I’m not saying we don’t need workers—we absolutely do—but we have to manage this. Can we target visas towards healthcare and construction, where they’re most needed, instead of pushing housing demand even higher across the board?”
“This Government can’t keep talking about plans while families are being priced out, young people are leaving the country, and council houses lie idle for eight months at a time. Aontú is focused on action and our amendment is clear, targeted, and achievable.”
