November 2016 Housing Minister to take part in Engineers Ireland panel discussion in Galway

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English TD, will travel to Galway for an Engineers Ireland West Region panel discussion on ‘Rebuilding Ireland: Solid foundations or hollow promises for housing?’. The event will be held at 7pm on Tuesday, 22 November, in the Oslo Bar in Salthill, in association with NUI Galway.

The panel will also feature three distinguished speakers from different areas of the housing sector: Brian Coyle (Coyle Kennedy Consulting Engineers), Martin O’Connor (COPE Galway) and Gerard O’Toole (Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland). The event will be chaired by Lorna Siggins, Western and Marine Correspondent with The Irish Times.

The discussion takes place in the context of the government’s new housing strategy, ‘Rebuilding Ireland – an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness’, which aims to double housing construction, increase the supply of social housing and tackle homelessness. However, the plan has come in for criticism as a set of hollow promises while homelessness continues to spiral out of control.

Dr Jamie Goggins, Chairperson of Engineers Ireland West Region and Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering at NUI Galway, said: “Sustainable housing represents one of the greatest challenges for construction professionals, policy makers and broader Irish society. For example, with a mandatory requirement for all new buildings constructed after 2020 to be nearly zero energy buildings, as well as those receiving significant renovation, we really do need to be planning and building more energy efficient, cost effective, healthier and comfortable homes today rather than just meeting current minimum standards.”

He continued: “Engineers Ireland is delighted to facilitate a public discussion on housing and I would like to invite everyone interested in finding solutions to the housing crisis to attend.”

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