Housing

‘We don’t know where the €6bn is coming from’ – confusion over Darragh O’Brien’s budget plans

A fortnight after his budget day announcement, the Land Development Agency ‘capitalisation’ figure touted by housing minister seems to have dissipated into the woodwork

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing: there was no mention of the money in the budget book and it is increasingly unclear where it is going to come from. Picture: Collins

On budget day, a rather significant announcement was slipped into the mix by housing minister Darragh O’Brien and it has largely flown under the radar.

Amid some stinging criticism from opposition that the government had missed the opportunity to use the budget to significantly increase spending on housing, O’Brien said he planned to “capitalise” the Land Development Agency (LDA) to the tune of €6 billion.

There have been many announcements made about the LDA since ...