Mayo housing debate: Snub shows how FF/FG are recklessly gambling with their futures
The Housing Commission was established in December 2021 by the then Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien.
It was tasked to examine issues such as tenure standards, sustainability and quality of life issues in the provision of housing, including the efficient functioning of the markets for housing construction and provision.
The commission reported in May 2024 with a total of 83 recommendations.
To date, this template for solving the housing crisis in our nation has been largely ignored, a snub of the highest order.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 10, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage met to consider the report of the Housing Commission. . .more than a year after it was published, an indication of the level of priority it has been given to date by a government that simply does not know where it's going on the issue.
The question as to why the report has been sidelined by the government needs to be answered in a very clear and concise way as more people struggle to provide affordable accommodation to their families.
As commission member Michael O'Flynn, chairman the O'Flynn group, put it: "It is extraordinary to set up something like this and disband it without launching, debating or interrogating the report, asking whether it represents the answer.
"Why did we set it up if we were not going to assess its findings and decide whether they would be the answer? It is quite extraordinary."
It is quite extraordinary to the point that the ongoing failure to come to grips with the housing crisis has the potential to bring down the government and change the course of political history in this country by casting both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael onto the Opposition benches for the first time.
The person who chaired the commission -
John O'Connor, former CEO of the housing and sustainability communities agency - has a clear vision of what needs to happen.
He outlined: "Ireland faces a serious housing deficit that requires emergency action. We cannot ask a couple in their 30s to wait a decade for a home.
"History offers us valuable lessons. In the aftermath of the Second World War, countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark faced severe housing emergencies. They overcame them through bold strategies and long-term collaboration across political, public and private sectors.
"Their success was built on consensus and collaboration and has endured for decades. This shows that an emergency is the opportunity to act with courage and commitment for a long-lasting solution.
"The Housing Commission’s report has the potential to serve as the foundation for a similar collaborative national effort built on consensus, one that can guide us out of this housing emergency and deliver fairer, effective and lasting solutions for the people of Ireland."
Sadly, nobody in a position of political power is listening to him.