Housing idea well received

There was strong support for the idea of a national housing authority at a plenary session of the National Economic and Social Forum in Dublin Castle yesterday.

Recommended by the NESF project team in a draft report on social and affordable housing and accommodation, the proposal had been received without enthusiasm by the Department of the Environment.

Mr Frank O'Connor of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive said such an authority was needed "to advise Government on policy and set targets". There was an awful lot of work to be done in the housing area, he said, and "some over-arching structure was needed".

Father Sean Healy of the Conference of Religious of Ireland said such an authority was "critical" to tackling issues raised in the report, which he felt had the potential to be as influential as the report on solving long-term unemployment of six years ago.

Since the days of the former finance minister, Mr Ray McSharry, there had been a lack of political will in the provision of social housing by the State, he said.

The issue had not been dealt with adequately by the Bacon reports or the Government, despite the urgency of the problem. He believed a national housing authority would not interfere with local authorities, but there was an urgent need for such a body "if we are to get to grips with the problem today," he said.

Mr Emer O Siochru of the Consumers Association of Ireland said the CAI would be "very much in favour" of a national housing authority.

Mr Blair Horan of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions felt a national housing authority was "the key". "It would give focus and not dilute the local authority role. It is the way of going forward in the crisis we are in," he said.