Commission on Housing Proposed

After a few trying weeks for our politicians with responsibility for housing, it has been reported that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien is to bring a memo to Cabinet before the end of this week proposing the establishment of a Commission on Housing. This has been muted many times in the past decades, however – given that it was contained in the Programme for Government –  it looks like it might actually happen this time. And this is a good thing. Why? Without the strategic analysis and data-based planning of a sector-focused body, our legislators react to trending news and public outrage with a series of headline-grabbing (but ultimately not very effective) policy changes, as we saw in recent weeks. The law of unintended consequences teaches us that such knee-jerk, reactionary policy-making rarely goes well. 

It has become increasingly clear over the past two decades that housing cannot be dealt with successfully within an election cycle. Allowing this critical sector to be subject to the whims and populist thinking of the party of the day results in a ‘groundhog day’ scenario, where Ireland seems destined to repeat the mistakes of the past by over-correcting in some distorted cycle of bad policy and practices. Is the current Government brave enough and willing to sacrifice early wins in order to put in place a process that can truly address some of the persistent challenges to housing delivery in ireland? Perhaps.

The proposed Commission on Housing would examine important issues ranging from tenure of housing right through to standards, with a focus on sustainability. The above-mentioned memo that the Housing Minister will bring to Cabinet this week is believed to relate to the appointment of a chairperson, according to a news report in TheJournal.ie. If accepted, the Commission on Housing could be formally established by early Autumn. A roadmap for quality housing in Ireland, from planning stages right through the building lifecycle, would be massively helpful for investors and the marketplace, creating a level of legislative certainty that has not existed for almost two decades. Given that the Commission on Housing will be tasked with exploring international best practice, it seems likely that Ireland will finally start to accept and implement a wider range of housing types and tenures, which may well pave the way for coliving, intergenerational community-led housing and other such models. 

It is understood at this stage that the drafting of the terms of reference for the Commission on Housing will be initiated once the chair has been appointed and members will be appointed from a cross-section of disciplines including homeless services, planning, infrastructure, finance and finance. After a particularly challenging few weeks, and indeed months, for the industry, this latest move is welcome.

Ian Lawlor
086 3625482

Managing Director 
Lotus Investment Group