Killian Woods: What exactly is an affordable home and who benefits from the definition?

The government’s home building plan, Housing For All, promises to deliver affordable housing for purchase and rent, but its methodology has been questioned and criticised for linking affordability to market prices instead of income

Construction: ‘Rebuilding Ireland tried to deliver affordable homes. Now the current government’s new Housing for All plan will try’

Five years ago, the government launched a competition. The aim was to find someone who could build a home for less than €200,000, not including the cost of land. It was one part of the previous big plan to deliver affordable housing called Rebuilding Ireland.

That document recognised the brewing affordability crisis in Ireland that threatened the economy. In basic terms, it said inflation in housing costs would drive wage growth, which would “erode competitiveness” ...