The Housing Activation Office hit a bit of a snag this week when Fine Gael decided to block Fianna Fáil’s top pick, Nama’s Brendan McDonagh, from taking on the role of chief executive. While the office is up and running, the search for a leader is proving to be a bit more challenging than expected. Not to mention, the specifics of how it will operate seem to still be up in the air. One thing we do know for sure is that it’s going to look quite different from what the Housing Commission had in mind back in 2024. They had given it the snazzy name of Housing Delivery Oversight Executive (HDOE). Sure, names are important, but the big twist here is that it won’t have any legislative power – something the commission really emphasized. Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time, Fine Gael Minister of State for Local Government and Planning John Cummins spilled the beans that the HAO will be set up administratively rather than through legislation because, you know, time is of the essence apparently. The Housing Commission, on the other hand, insisted that the office should be backed by some solid legislation. They were pretty adamant that the office “must” be able to shake things up, make decisions, and keep an eye on how proposals and policies are affecting housing delivery. They also wanted it to have the authority to iron out conflicts between different public entities when it comes to infrastructure.
In a surprising turn of events, it looks like Nama’s Brendan McDonagh won’t be taking the reins at the Housing Activation Office after all. Fine Gael put their foot down on his appointment at a special Cabinet committee meeting. On top of that, Minister for Housing James Browne announced that the office would be stacked with experts borrowed from key public infrastructure agencies like Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, and the National Transport Authority. They’re really going for the A-team, it seems. But wait a minute, what about input from the private sector? The commission had suggested a mix of folks from both the public and private sectors to make up the office’s governance structure. Seems like they might be missing a trick there. Another curveball from the Minister is the plan to create two new groups under the HAO – the Housing Activation Delivery Group and the Housing Activation Industry Group. Not really sure why this matters, but hey, let’s roll with it. It’s not totally clear what these groups will actually do, and they weren’t even part of the commission’s original playbook.
In the grand scheme of things, the Housing Activation Office seems to be taking on a life of its own, straying from the Housing Commission’s vision. Whether this will lead to success or chaos is anyone’s guess. One thing’s for sure, though – the journey ahead is bound to be an interesting one. Let’s see how this all pans out.
