Donohoe rejects criticism of affordable housing scheme

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has said the €475,000 asking price for units in an affordable housing development in Dublin is for a “particular home at a particular price”.

Yesterday, a local councillor said he had very serious and significant concerns about the price of units in the Oscar Traynor Woods development in Coolock.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Paschal Donohoe said some homes at the development are priced at €264,000 as they are “recipients of significant subsidies from the Government to bring the price of that home below the market price”.

An affordable housing scheme “is the kind that we need to build on in the time ahead”, Mr Donohoe added.

“We know we need to make more progress. If you look at January to March of this year, over 12,000 new homes were commenced.

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“That’s an increase of over 60% versus where we were in 2023. We’ve seen a record number of homes in our planning process get permission and now actually work beginning on them,” he added.

Yesterday, Tánaiste Micheál Martin also defended the pricing of homes at the site in Coolock amid rowdy scenes in the Dáil.

Responding to claims from Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty that people in Coolock “could never aspire to own” homes at those prices, Micheál Martin said there are a range of schemes to help buyers.

Mr Doherty said that the Government was “out of touch” and the situation was “astonishing”.

He accused Mr Martin of “misleading the Dáil” on the issue.

Mr Donohoe also said he is to meet new Minister for Finance Jack Chambers later to discuss the economy and housing.

He also said they will be working on the upcoming Budget “in the coming weeks”.