Sir, – Two headlines in The Irish Times of March 7th: “Multinationals raising significant `concerns` around housing in Ireland, says analysts”; “Rents and house prices to keep rising as Ireland among EU’s lowest for housing development, says ESRI”.
What chance of key frontline workers, gardaí, nurses, teachers, childcare workers, etc, being able to even rent in Ireland, let alone buy, when the multinationals are finding it difficult to accommodate their employees, who are in all cases earning substantially more than our key workers? No wonder our brilliant, well-educated young people are emigrating in their droves, most of them never to return to work in Ireland.
All our political parties seem frightened to even admit there is a key worker crisis. London has for decades recognised this problem and has successfully introduced key worker incentives and legislation. Just Google and you will find thousands of words on the subject.
I believe if nothing is done to subsidise key worker accommodation, then Ireland will in the next few years suffer substantially, both economically and socially.
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The Government’s current housing incentives, which are costing billions each year, in my opinion and the opinion of my many associates, offer no solution to this major crisis. – Yours, etc,
PASCHAL TAGGART,
Dublin 6.
