Spending promises were kept and even exceeded in areas such as health - but on housing, the numbers still lag
The Coalition has, as the two bigger parties said they would, bolstered supports to first-time buyers. The number of new homes being provided, though, has remained a huge issue. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times, particularly as the votes are counted and minds become more focused on how the numbers stack up and which promises might actually be possible to deliver.
In early 2020, Fine Gael said it would provide between 35,000 and 40,000 homes per year and add 60,000 social houses over five years. Fianna Fáil said it would build 50,000 affordable homes and introduce measures that facilitate the delivery of 200,000 new homes by 2025. On the rental front, a mix of supports have been provided, but the shortage of supply has ensured rents, like purchase prices, have continued to increase.The impact of the Greens has, somewhat predictably, been more obvious here. Their manifesto committed them to pursuing a 7 per cent fall in emissions each year and a minimum target of 50 per cent by 2030. The 7 per cent hasn’t happened yet, but there has been progress, and 2023 was the closest to it yet.
Fine Gael said there would be no increase in third-level fees – they have since been cut – and made significant commitments on capital and other funding which have been delivered.They may have been coming from a low base, but this Government has somewhat exceeded the broad thrust of commitments the parties made with regard to the sector five years ago, most obviously on spending and subsidies to parents.
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