Harris: Up to ten staff to be seconded to Housing Activation Office

The Tánaiste said he expects up to ten people, from various State agencies, to be seconded to the new Housing Activation Office.

Simon Harris told a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party that the Minister for Housing will bring him and the Taoiseach a proposal on how to staff the office.

It will then go before the Cabinet's housing subcommittee.

The plan to staff the office comes after the CEO of NAMA withdrew his name from consideration for the role of leading it earlier this month.

Brendan McDonagh's decision followed political controversy about him retaining his €430,000 salary, if he was to move to the new role.

The parliamentary party meeting also heard from several members who highlighted the lack of vital infrastructure, saying it was a key obstacle to easing the crisis.

The Tánaiste said people’s lives were on hold as they waited for their own homes and this was having social and economic consequences.

Yesterday, Opposition parties said the housing crisis is becoming worse due in part to what they claimed is the failure of the Government to invest in water and electricity infrastructure.

TDs from Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, Independent Ireland and technical group members raised the concerns during a Dáil debate.