Prof Michelle Norris
The Housing Commission has identified the shortfall in housing delivery as a serious issue and believes that there will be a deficit of up to 200,000 homes over the next five years. With an increase in the population in this country and greater household formation, a huge increase in demand for housing means there is an urgent need to increase supply.
The Commission was set up in 2022 by then Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to report on standards, tenure and quality of life issues having an impact on the provision of housing and ways to improve this delivery. However, due to the complexities of the challenges arising from the objectives set out by the Minister, its tenure stretched to two years, giving it additional time to report back, and it delivered 83 cross-ranging recommendations to the Government last year.
Prof Michelle Norris, Director at the Geary Institute of Public Policy at UCD, who was one of the 12 members of the Commission, said that additional input was submitted by over 80 experts from different divisions involved in the housing sector.
One of Commission’s significant recommendations has been a reform of the management structure in local government to strengthen housing delivery, management and maintenance capacity, by establishing separate arrangements to govern and deliver housing services. This could be achieved by establishing Local Authority Housing Organisations (LAHOs) on a local authority or regional basis.
Following his appointment as the new Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 23 January 2025, James Browne TD met with members of the Housing Commission.
Prof Norris remains hopeful that their recommendations are implemented, one of which is to establish in legislation a Housing Delivery Oversight Executive as a decision-making body responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of housing.
