Coveney must reform procurement process and give Councils more money to build and buy – Ó Broin

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoin Ó Broin has said that Minister for Housing Simon Coveney 'must reform the procurement process and give more money to local councils rather than using undemocratic, emergency planning powers to increase the stock of modular homes,.

Speaking this morning Deputy Ó Broin said:

“Minister Coveney needs to send a signal to local councils that tackling the housing crisis requires a significant increase in social housing.

"To achieve this he must make more money available to local authorities. He must also reform the slow and cumbersome procurement process.

"The problem is not with the planning process. It is with the cumbersome procurement process that can take up to 134 weeks.

“The social housing procurement process for local authorities goes through four stages each as burdensome as the next.

“Sinn Féin’s submission to the Housing and Homeless Committee included a recommendation to that the Committee should propose an urgent review of procurement and tendering rules with a view to shortening them to allow for faster delivery of new social housing.

"Fast track procurement was used in the rapid build project in Ballymun. There is no reason why it couldn't be used to build permanent social housing.

“The Minister should leave the planning process alone.

“He needs real solutions. He should increase the funding available to local authorities to buy and build houses.

“The only emergency legislation he should be introducing is to fast track the procurement process for Local Authorities as was used for the rapid builds in Ballymun.”