The State must return to levels of social and affordable house-building last seen during Fianna Fáil’s last period in office a decade ago, the party’s spokesman Barry Cowen has said.
In a number of speeches in recent weeks Mr Cowen has sought to defend his party’s record on construction, and recast Fianna Fáil as the party that can spur large-scale construction of homes. This includes the party’s controversial record during the years of the property boom in its last period of office between 1997 and 2011.
Mr Cowen’s speeches mark a tentative embrace by Fianna Fáil of its record as it attempts to signal to voters that it is better placed than Fine Gael to solve the housing crisis.
However, it will likely lead Fine Gael to instead say that the last Fianna Fáil administrations were responsible for overheating the property market and the subsequent economic crash.
At an event for Technology Ireland – a group under the umbrella of business group Ibec – last week Mr Cowen said Fianna Fáil had built “over a million homes” during its time in power since it first entered government in 1932.
“While the world struggled with the great depression we helped to clear the slums in the 1930s with an ambitious home-building programme in what were deeply difficult economic times,” the Offaly TD said. “That type of vision is needed once more to give a new generation a stake in society, and enable us to reach our full economic potential.”
Property boom
While his comparison with the era of the recent property boom was not as explicit, Mr Cowen said his party had built more social houses every year in the period between 1997 and 2009 than Fine Gael had during the lifetime of the last government between 2011 and 2016.
“I am deeply concerned that the current Government places no value on home-building for ordinary working people across our country. From 2011 to 2016, Fine Gael built just 4,000 new social houses, which is fewer than what Fianna Fáil built in almost every single year from 1997 to 2009.
“The target of some 30,000 new build social units as part of an overall 50,000 unit target is not enough to meet the needs of our population.”
He said more money was needed from central government to match the rate of social house construction last seen 10 years ago.
“Even after Budget 2018 we are still €350 million off the levels we need to reach in order to match what we achieved in 2008. This money must be used to get back putting bricks and mortar in the ground.”
He said a new “home delivery agency” was needed to drive the construction of social and affordable homes.
Agency
“This agency should have emergency compulsory purchase powers and can sub-contract work out. It can be financed from both public and private sources, with the aim to remain off balance sheet, as is the norm across Europe.”
Mr Cowen’s statements will also be seen as a further attempt by Fianna Fáil to create difference with Fine Gael as the confidence and supply agreement comes to an end after the next budget, due in October.
Party leader Micheál Martin told his frontbenchers earlier this year to be more assertive in their dealings with the Government.