Push for policies to be at heart of next programme for government with focus on efficient use of resources to address deficit of 256,000 homes
The group was tasked with informing the last government on housing policy, but since its detailed report was leaked, and later published, last May, it has had limited engagement with the Government.
It recommended a huge ramping up of housing delivery, suggesting there is an underlying deficit of up to 256,000 homes.
Some members met privately with civil servants over the last six months to discuss the group’s recommendations, but there has not yet been new government policies to reflect the commission’s findings.
Three commission members told the Sunday Independent they would like to see at least some of their recommendations reflected in the new programme for government.
They said priority should be given to social and affordable housing enhancements, as well as recommendations around financing the delivery of homes and ensuring state resources are used efficiently to manage the crisis.
It is understood the government formation talks have given some consideration to parts of the commission’s report, but it remains to be seen which proposals, if any, will be in the programme for government.
UCD professor of social policy Michelle Norris said while the new government will be concerned with immediate priorities, she hopes it will commit to implementing the commission’s reforms.
UCD professor of social policy Michelle Norris wants to see long-term commitments. Photo: Colin O’Riordan
The commission was established off the back of a commitment made in the last programme for government.
“Sometimes in the national debate on housing there is a huge focus on the current minister, the current government and current policy statements, but problems have built up in our system of housing delivery, planning and the finance of housing over decades. Addressing them requires long-term commitments,” Prof Norris said.
“Housing for All has been enormously valuable because it has managed to set aside around €5bn in spending for housing.
“The funding for housing, particularly social housing, needs to be maintained, so I hope to see that in the programme for government.”
The report recommended increasing capacity in the homebuilding sector, establishing locations where homes can be developed rapidly at scale, doubling the size of the social and cost-rental housing sectors so they represent 20pc of national housing stock, as well as reforming housing assistance payment (HAP) and rent supplement schemes.
It made 83 recommendations in all.
When they were published the Government argued it had already implemented 65 of these, although this has been debated by the opposition.
Prof Norris said the new government’s housing policy should take account of problems delivering infrastructure, such as water and energy, to support the development of homes.
Fianna Fáil’s election manifesto proposed establishing a new unit in the National Treasury Management Agency to oversee the delivery of such infrastructure, while Fine Gael proposed setting up a department of infrastructure to support economic growth and delivering housing targets.
Prof Norris said it is vital a body is established to enforce implementation.
Goodbody chief economist Dermot O’Leary wants the Government to map out how future development will be funded
She said there were other commission recommendations which would also support delivery which must be considered.
“We recommended local authorities could come together and set up jointly owned organisations to provide housing,” she said.
“For smaller local authorities – with small groups of staff where it is very challenging to hire the civil engineers, quantity surveyors and people they need to manage housing delivery – that would enable them to get around these issues and address some of the capacity problems.”
Goodbody chief economist Dermot O’Leary also sat on the commission and said the group’s independence and diversity should give weight and value to its recommendations.
“I think it would be a very significant missed opportunity if at least some of the recommendations were not followed through on,” Mr O’Leary said.
“The commission’s report gives a sense of direction, and also gives guardrails around that sense of direction, so you don’t veer too far left or right, but it leaves enough room for policymakers to decide which way they want to go.”
The report recommended the Government makes long-term commitments to provide the sector with stable levels of public finance.
Mr O’Leary said it is vital the Government maps out how future development will be funded.
“How you put that into reality is by recognising international capital is going to play a big role in the expansion and funding of the sector over the next number of years. Another aspect of that is an anchor of public spending by the Government, which means sustained public expenditure on public housing to bring the social housing up to 20pc of the overall housing stock.”
At the moment people are trapped in the rental sector because they cannot save to be a homeowner
Housing Europe secretary general Sorcha Edwards, who sat on the commission, agrees committing to the recommendations around financing the sector are very important.
“I think it is worth visiting each of the recommendations and seeing how they can be turned into a reality,” Ms Edwards said.
She said recommendations around preventing “leakage” in the sector should also be given priority.
The commission said one way of doing this would be to end tenant-purchase schemes, which enable councils to sell homes they let to tenants. This would allow local authorities to retain stock.
“It is important to do this in a way that does not remove the choices people have to be homeowners or renters. At the moment people are trapped in the rental sector because they cannot save to be a homeowner. It is important to create access to an affordable rental market so people can save and eventually buy,” Ms Edwards said.
She said having a better functional rental sector would also help reduce what the State spends on schemes such as HAP, so public money is used better.
“At the moment we are paying people subsidies so they can pay rents into the private sector. We are still going to do that, but with an efficient cost-rental sector the State only has to pay up to the cost-rental price and not the market prices. Such cost-rental models have worked well in Finland, Holland and Austria.”
