Tánaiste Simon Harris has defended the Government’s housing record after the chair of the European Parliament’s housing committee described Ireland’s crisis as among the most severe and complicated in Europe.
Italian MEP Irene Tinagli, who was on a fact-finding visit to Ireland, made the remarks following her engagements in the country, pointing to evictions, institutional investors and the proliferation of short-term lets as key factors driving the pressure on housing, reports Breaking News.
Speaking at the turning of the sod on 410 houses in Bishopstown in Cork city on Friday, the Fine Gael leader said he had not seen MEP Tinagli’s specific comments but acknowledged that housing was a challenge right across the European Union.
“When I go to Europe, housing is a challenge in all member states,” Harris said, adding that Ireland was making progress by building more homes than it had in recent years and that significant investment was being directed at the issue, reports Breaking News.
He pointed to the 410-home development in Cork as evidence of the Government’s commitment to increasing supply and said further progress was being made on planning reform, infrastructure delivery, and the expansion of affordable and social housing provision.
MEP Tinagli, in her assessment, had noted that Ireland’s combination of rapid population growth, a constrained supply of housing, and high levels of institutional investment in residential property made it a particularly acute case among European member states grappling with housing affordability challenges, reports Breaking News.
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