Taoiseach Micheál Martin has acknowledged that housing is the biggest challenge facing the country, and said that the Government is working to produce a policy to tackle the issue of cuckoo funds buying up estates. “Anything we can do in terms of housing, we are going to do because it’s the No 1 crisis facing the people, young people in particular who are in search of a new home – that’s something that worries me a lot,” he said. Mr Martin said that Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien are working on a strategy, including changes in taxation, to prevent a repeat of such practices. He said that the situation had changed hugely from then and the State was now the major player in the housing market but the challenges remained huge to provide the necessary housing to cater for demographic changes. “The big player in the housing market at the moment is the State.

Source: The Irish Times May 09, 2021 15:57 UTC