Government hopes pace of housing announcements increases output
After a slow start, Minister for Housing James Browne has been making a raft of announcements in an effort to unblock problems and speed up delivery.
There is no big bang, but the message now is on a constant flow of weekly actions.
All this emphasises the pledge from Mr Browne that the housing crisis is an emergency and is being treated as one. Today brought three changes.
Firstly, more powers and a broader remit for the Land Development Agency.
Also, emergency legislation to quickly extend rent pressure zones nationwide.
And the appointment of the former HSE boss Paul Reid to chair the new planning body, An Coimisiún Pleanála which replaces An Bord Pleanála.
This comes on top of extensions to planning permissions, rental reforms, the establishment of the Housing Activation Office and the revised National Planning Framework.
Also, there is a push to encourage local authorities to rezone much more land for housing.
And there is more to come, with big announcements next month on the National Development Plan and a revamp of the current housing blueprint, Housing for All.
In addition, it is clear that a downgrading of apartment standards is being examined to address the viability impasse.
No surprise that the Opposition are underwhelmed with this spate of new measures.
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore told the Dáil that the Government may be taking decisions, but she said they were "the wrong ones".
Opposition parties have slammed the rental reforms with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald labelling it the "Fianna Fáil rent hike bill".
In particular, they have focused on the lack of protection for short-term renters like students who could face repeated rent hikes every time they move.
For Mr Browne, it's clear that after a difficult start in the job, he seems to be on surer ground.
But all acknowledge that any uptick in supply is some way off.
What does success look like?
Housing delivery takes years but before then, the direction of travel will be signalled by several strands of data.
A Government source suggests that commencement figures are part of this, but they are not the only important piece of data.
First up, ministers will be hoping to see a rise in planning permission applications, especially for large developments.
Another important measure is how quickly these applications pass through the system.
And if they end up in An Coimisiún Pleanála, how quickly are they dealt with.
But trickier decisions loom, namely on potential tax breaks to stimulate private sector development.
Builders have walked away from big projects citing the impossibility of delivering at a price buyers are willing to pay.
Their solution is a tax incentive, perhaps on VAT.
The political battlelines on such a measure are clear; Labour leader Ivana Bacik calling them "Bertienomics tax breaks".
And there is already resistance within Government with Minster for Finance Paschal Donohoe publicly opposing them.
Proponents of the measure in Government, claim these tax incentives would be different - narrowly drawn, time limited and targeted.
Ministers know they will be a tough sell, but some believe they are necessary to deliver the big bang to scale up delivery.
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