Official figures show that the delivery of new social housing is increasingly reliant on the purchase of “turnkey” units from private developers. Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin argues that the draft Programme for Government offers no solution to replace them with direct development by social housing bodies, which would be cheaper and more suitable.
The majority of policies agreed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party to achieve the transition towards a greener economy were already known from previous commitments or set in EU legislation. Yet a new level of ambition is emerging, with concrete actions most clearly spelled out in transport – and a lot left to be teased out in agriculture.
While political agitation focuses on the already agreed target of a 7% annual cut in greenhouse gas emissions for the next decade, the real question is whether the next Government will agree to spend Covid-19 recovery funds in a way that makes low-carbon technologies more attractive than increasingly cheap fossil fuels.
Following on from the recent debate between Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin surrounding proposed 100-year leases for social housing, Sinn Féin's spokesperson on housing Eoin Ó Broin publishes a full costing for the measure – and maintains that it would not deliver value.
Irish policymakers have been ignoring inconvenient truths for decades. Over the next three weeks, I will be looking at the real data in a range of issues including the national accounts and the labour market. But today, I am starting with housing.
First elected to the Dáil at the age of 27, Lucinda Creighton was a rising star in Fine Gael – before she resigned from the party over her stance on abortion. Having left Irish politics for good, Creighton has entered the world of business through Vulcan Consulting.
As Ireland votes, get some depth on the economic impact of your vote: The Currency has interviewed frontbenchers from the five leading parties at length on business issues, while Stephen Kinsella crunches the numbers and unveils the faultlines revealed by the campaign.
The Irish economy is booming, and unemployment has flatlined. Yet, Fine Gael is getting little electoral credit for its stewardship of the economy. In his pre-election interview, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe defends his record and critiques the economic plans of the other parties.
To grow its vote share in middle Ireland, Sinn Féin needs to project solidity and competence. Pearse Doherty aims to fit the bill. In his pre-election interview, he outlines, and defends, the party's radical, ambitious, and expensive manifesto.
A former attorney general, cabinet minister and Tánaiste, Michael has now carved out a new niche in the Seanad. He talks to Sam Smyth about politics, policing, power, bravery and freedom of the press.
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