Letters

Tackling the housing crisis

Time for radical solutions

Thu Feb 29 2024 - 00:06

A chara, – We are also still accepting of solutions that are subject to the fluctuations of the private market: the Social Democrats’ target of 50,000 homes per year is predicated on the projected continued decline in commercial construction activity, and those workers being reallocated to home construction projects.

Why are there no radical incentives being proposed to attract immigrant labour for the construction sector of, for example, 0 per cent income tax for some period of time?

This obviously creates the problem of where these workers would be accommodated in the short term, but evidently it would have been a viable proposal a couple of years ago, given that we have in the interim managed to accommodate 100,000 Ukrainians. – Is mise,

DAVE McGINN,

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Naas,

Co Kildare.

Sir , – Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien (Letters, February 26th) fails to explain how citizens will be able to continue to pay their rent to private landlords once they retire and suffer at least a 50 per cent reduction in income.

Is it the intention of Mr O’Brien that the Government will subsidise the rents of this cohort or will they be left to the mercy of the “market”?

If, as seems to be the case, that the “market” will be the primary provider of rental accommodation, then a very considerable number of citizens can look forward to a future of poverty and homelessness.

This needn’t be the case as local authority-provided accommodation based on a differential rent scheme would enable citizens to continue to rent based on their current income.

Why is Mr O’Brien ignoring this option?

Relying on the “market” will result in poverty and misery for a huge number of citizens and is unnecessary and undesirable.

If only the Government and Ministers could see reason and put common sense first. – Yours, etc,

HUGH PIERCE,

Celbridge,

Co Kildare.