Minister for Environment Alan Kelly recently confirmed the government planned to use modular homes to tackle the housing crisis in Ireland.
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Environment and Local Government Barry Cowen TD said he was weary of taking Minister Kelly's commitments at face value considering his track record.
Deputy Cowen said: "First and foremost we do not know the location of the sites where these modular homes will be based. Have the local authorities in Dublin actually identified areas where these modular homes will be based, or has Minister Kelly gone ahead and made another commitment without thinking through the specific details? Has the Minister secured planning permission for the placement of these units, or do we have to wait 18 months before procurement and planning issues are overcome?
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"When the Taoiseach was asked in the Dáil to provide clarity on these issues he simply could not do so. It seems the Government plan for dealing with the homeless and housing emergency hasn't been thought through. We are still waiting to hear where these modular homes will be located and whether they will be adequately serviced. Meanwhile more and more families are at risk of becoming homeless.
"There is no sense of urgency or joined up thinking when it comes Minister Kelly's response to the housing emergency. NAMA had up to 11,000 housing units in its possession which already had full planning permission. However they decided to sell these units, which could have been used to tackle the housing emergency, instead of putting them to productive use."
(CD/LM)
