Two people meeting for the first time on TV, testing the waters and getting to know each other. Although First Dates was airing on RTÉ Two, the real drama was unfolding on Prime Time.
The programme marked the first television debate between Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien and Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin.
"You’ve been running from the this debate for far too long, Darragh," Mr Ó Broin quipped.
"So glad to be here Eoin," Minister O'Brien replied.
The date was off to a rocky start.
Mr O’Brien has a positive story to tell. House commencements and mortgage drawdowns are up. The Government can point to an improvement in supply, albeit from a low base.
"Things are slowly improving," he said.
The minister noted a return to a pre-pandemic construction workforce and the arrival of affordable homes in 2022 as further cause for optimism.
"I’m focused on those who feel like they’re saving every cent and getting nowhere."
Eoin Ó Broin went straight for the biggest target the Government has - the number of new homes the coalition says it wants to build.
"We simply don’t have the right targets. 33,000 new homes on average isn’t enough," he said.
Sinn Féin’s alternative budget suggested the country actually needs 40,000 new homes a year. Half of them, the party says, should be social and affordable housing.
"40,000 this year won’t happen," Mr O’Brien responded. "We have to be honest with people."
The pair disagreed on how many new homes the country needs, and what type of homes they should be.
A major ramping up of State involvement in housing, Mr Ó Broin argued, is the best way to ensure the development of homes with mixed-tenure and income.
Financing the building of mixed-tenure developments by local authorities would mean homes could be sold for €230,000 or less, he said.
Mr O’Brien pointed to a new scheme in Lusk, where homes will sell from €166,000. "That’s this year," he noted.
Policy turned to politics when presenter Fran McNulty raised Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s suggestion that Sinn Féin was privately meeting developers and offering a "warm house".
"Micheál Martin knows as much about Sinn Féin as he knows about housing," Ó Broin retorted.
"Disrespectful and disparaging, Eoin," the minister shook his head.
Mr Ó Broin explained that he has been meeting with developers to discuss "better activation measures" to increase the supply of new homes.
"The big difference between Sinn Féin’s approach to private development and the Government's is that all of their policies will push up the price of private homes," he said.
Read more from Prime Time's Housing Week:
The staggering generation gap in the housing market
How everything is different for today's first-time buyers
The data behind the story: Housing really is less affordable than in the past
Should the Government try to push home values down?
Changes to zoning, planning and land servicing could all help deliver private homes at lower prices, he noted.
These, Minister O'Brien sighed, were simply "vague comments."
Outlining the Croí Cónaithe scheme that will effectively subsidise apartments in some areas for private sale and a grant for buyers to renovate vacant properties, Mr O’Brien argued Government measures will have an impact.
"Apartment blocks will be in our plan and we've detailed it very clearly unlike Eoin’s housing plan which we have yet to see."
Sinn Féin proposes the development of 90,000 vacant homes in cities and towns which would be "cheaper and require less construction workers", Mr Ó Broin replied.
"You’re taking a long time to try and explain yourself," the minister smiled.
"You don’t want people to know the truth," came the response.
Asked about reducing the cost of building, the minister noted that apprenticeship targets have been met and suggested the €4bn budget for Housing for All would help alleviate some of the problems.
But only half of the cost of a home is direct build costs, Mr Ó Broin countered.
A focus on large-scale public developments would mean cheaper financing costs and the delivery of really good affordable apartments, he explained.
"We have to focus on non-build costs."
The supply of affordable homes is falling far short of what’s possible, he said.
"You might get to five or six hundred next year. We need at least 4,000."
Like First Dates, the evening rounded off with consideration of whether the pair would see each other again.
The two could, according to polls, be in Government together after the next election. But the suggestion was given a wide berth by both.
"It’s not about the next election," the minister said.
"Maybe about the next leadership contest?" Ó Broin retorted.
Looks like a second date is unlikely.
