The Dáil resumed business today after the Easter break with housing and the appointment of a so-called 'housing tsar' at the top of the agenda.

The role has been created as part of a new office in the Department of Housing known as the Housing Activation Office.

The CEO of this office has been nicknamed the 'housing tsar'.

Newstalk's political correspondent Seán Defoe said this role was set up to break down barriers in the delivery of houses.

"Say if you've got an estate of 400 homes and they can't come on stream because [Uisce Éireann] haven't got the pipeline sorted or there's some problem with the electricity or whatever," he told The Hard Shoulder.

"That's what they're looking at, trying to break that down and come in with a swoop of extra money to say, 'Well, [Uisce Éireann], go get that pipe built and we'll get the 400 a bit quicker.

"It's been fair to say there's been mixed reastion to it.

"It sounds on the surface of it like it might be a sensible idea, but Mary Lou McDonald certainly in the Dáil earlier said this is just James Browne, the new Minister, passing the buck to someone else."

Salary

The Government has not yet confirmed the salary of the new role; however, it is suspected that it could be in the ballpark of €430,000.

"This is Brendan McDonagh, by the way, the person we think is the preferred candidate for James Browne," Seán said.

"He is currently the CEO of NAMA (the National Asset Management Agency), which, of course, is due to wind down at the end of the year.

"He would be seconded out from his current job into this new role, and usually, you don't lose any salary.

"You keep the salary you're on; ergo €430,000 [which he is on at the moment]."

Seán pointed out this is more than the Taoiseach himself makes.

Main image: Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking to the media on the Plinth at Leinster House. Photo:Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie