What counts as 'affordable' housing? Taoiseach and Mary Lou McDonald clash on meaning in Dáil

What counts as 'affordable' housing? Taoiseach and Mary Lou McDonald clash on meaning in Dáil

THERE WAS DISAGREEMENT in the Dáil today over what qualifies as ‘affordable’ housing.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald used her party’s slot at Leaders’ Questions to ask Taoiseach Simon Harris if he believes that prices of between €400,000 – €475,000 for a three-bed house under the Government’s Affordable Housing scheme are actually affordable for most people.

McDonald was referring to the prices at a development in Coolock, Dublin.

As reported last week, in some cases units for sale at the Oscar Traynor Woods development are €169,000 more expensive than indicated when the scheme was approved by Dublin City Council in 2021.

McDonald also noted that the Government has made the decision to sell state-owned land at Aungier Street to a private developer, as reported in the Irish Times today.

“You’ve exempted the developer from building social and affordable homes on what is prime city center land. More bad decision-making, a huge mistake again with your eyes wide open,” she said.

McDonald said public land must be kept in public ownership with Councils or Approved Housing Bodies providing “genuinely affordable housing.”

“Are you making another big mistake in relation to the Aungier Street site,” she asked.

“Transferring prime state-owned land to a private developer, exempting them from delivering social and affordable housing is nothing short of madness Taoiseach,” McDonald added.

In response, Harris said McDonald was “conveniently” misrepresenting the Government’s position on Aungier Street.

“I think it’s particularly regrettable because you know the story better than probably most, you and Minister Donohoe and others who are TDs for Dublin Central,” the Taoiseach said.

He made the point that the Dáil had previously passed legislation for the Grangegorman Development Authority which set up an organisation in law that was charged with disposing of state properties, including Aungier Street.

“Putting the money that’s generated from that into your constituency,” he said to McDonald.

“So it has always been known by you… that these properties would be disposed of and then every cent of money, every cent, will go into the delivery of education.

“So you’ll excuse me if I don’t tolerate or buy the faux outrage here today,” he added.

“There’s no big ‘gotcha moment’. The Government position in relation to disposal of DIT properties has always been clear – dispose and put the money into education in your constituency, to the transformative Grangegorman campus.”

He added that the Land Development Agency had no plans to develop the Aungier Street site for housing.

In relation to the affordable housing at Oscar Traynor Woods, the Taoiseach accused McDonald of “cherry-picking” figures.

He added that properties in Government Affordable Housing schemes are 19% to 21% lower than market prices.

McDonald responded: “The problem is Taoiseach, you won’t answer the question – is €475,000 affordable for those people in need of an affordable home?”

“Affordability very much depends on a person’s circumstance, I’m sure what you think is affordable would be very different to other people…That’s why we provide a range of housing solutions,” the Taoiseach said.

Meanwhile, speaking on RTÉ’s News at One earlier today, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said the scheme at Oscar Traynor Woods is “excellent”.

He said the figure “people were fixated on last week” (the figure of €475,000 for a three-bedroom house) was on the upper end of the scale for people on higher incomes.

“The vast majority of those homes are going to be way, way less,” he said.

Last week, Dublin City Councillors were told that a one-bedroom unit will cost between €264,358 and €308,750.

Prices for a three-bedroom home in the development will start at €399,000.