O'Brien plays down Harris' ambitions to build 50,000 houses every year

Cate McCurry, PA

Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien has played down ambitions by Taoiseach Simon Harris to increase the Government’s house building targets, after the Fine Gael leader insisted the State could deliver 50,000 homes every year for the next five years.

Mr O’Brien said the Government needs to build up the capacity in the construction sector before it can commit to building 250,000 homes in a five-year period.

Mr Harris said his pledge to build 250,000 homes between 2025 and 2030 would not mean the “smooth delivery” of 50,000 across each of those years, conceding it could take time to ramp up capacity.

Speaking at the 82nd Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in Dublin, Mr O’Brien said the Government has gone from building 20,000 homes in 2020 to building 33,000 homes last year.

He said he expects to reach the “high 30s” this year.

“We’ve exceeded every target that we’ve set so far, the target set under Housing for All that we brought forward have been the floor, not the ceiling,” Mr O’Brien added.

“We’ve exceeded those targets and what I’m really interested in is exceeding the target again this year.

“I can confidently predict that we will see very significant housing delivery in 2024, to build on the 100,000 plus new homes that Fianna Fáil and Government have been able to deliver.

“Let’s be in no doubt, we are acutely aware that there are many many people out there who still don’t feel that change, particularly those who don’t have a home at all.

“They are our priorities too, but the trajectory this year is very, very positive. Affordable housing for the first time in a generation, more social homes in over 50 years, first-time buyers now buying at a rate that we haven’t seen since 2006.

“We’re going to double down on our efforts this year.”

He added: “I think the reality of it is, if if you could flick a switch and deliver 50,000 homes next year, of course you would do that.

“The reality of it is that you need to build up the capacity in the construction sector to deliver those homes and people understand that too.

“We have about 25,000 more people working in construction now that we have pre-Covid. That capacity is building and you’re seeing because of that build capacity now, the delivery actually building too.”