Minister says all agencies 'must point in same direction' on housing plan

Vivienne Clarke

Minister for Transport, Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien has said that it was important to ensure that “all the agencies of the State are pointing in the same direction” when it comes to delivering new homes.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr O’Brien, a former Minister for Housing, said that “deliverability” was key and that it was impossible to go from delivering 20,000 new homes a year to 60,000 new homes per year.

When asked about the different responses from various local authorities, the Minister said “we need to make sure that all the agencies of the State are pointing in the same direction".

The government makes policy, but it was up to the agencies of the State to implement those policies, he added.

Mr O’Brien said he was confident that the new Housing Plan would accelerate delivery of new homes.