Donohoe says Government needs ‘new ideas’ to tackle housing crisis

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said the Government needs to "look at new ideas" when it comes to the housing crisis.

Mr Donohoe sent his condolences to the families of two homeless people who died in Dublin on Thursday.

'Jack' Howlett-Watson, a former chef in his 50s who returned from Australia a number of years ago , was found unconscious outside the Superdry shop on Suffolk Street at approximately 4am on Thursday.

Separately, a young homeless woman (26) was found dead on Thursday evening in the hotel room she shared with her two children, in Leixlip, Co Kildare.

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“For this year alone, we’re investing €1.3 billion in measures to support the housing market and public housing, but we acknowledge that we need to do more. We need to look at new ideas.

"Eoghan Murphy has review underway of all these supports... We want to make sure that the kind of tragedy (that happened last night) isn't happening and I'm really committed to doing what I can to address that," Mr Donohoe told RTÉ's Sean O'Rourke Show.

Speaking about reports during the week of a new semi-State body to oversee housing, Mr Donohoe confirmed a review was “underway” with Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy.

“We have learned that setting up anything new that involves moving staff from one organisation to another, we’ll spend as long doing any of that as we will in perhaps using the resources and people that we have in new ways.”

He also said a new body would not be modelled on that of the HSE or Irish Water, saying:

“I think when we look at the performance of the HSE and Irish Water, I think we also have to be conscious of the progress that both organisations have made in many, many, many areas.

“But what we also that setting up organisations like the HSE and Irish Water, it takes time. It involves the movement of staff it involves the creation of new legislation.

“All of which may be needed at a point in the future but Eoghan and I are committed to doing is with the resources that we have available, with the people and organisations that we have, how can we review that to make the progress that everybody wants.”