It is over two years since the Council set out its analysis of Ireland’s system of urban development, land management and housing provision (NESC, 2018a). That research concluded that the system was dysfunctional and that a suite of actions was required to fix it. Despite the intense policy focus on housing and a range of initiatives in the interim, the broken housing system described by the Council in 2018 persists. Recent developments provide an opportunity to reflect on why this is the case, and to offer renewed policy advice. The Covid-19 pandemic, and the response to it, is creating a new context for housing policy. The Programme for Government has also changed the backdrop to action, stating that securing ‘housing for all’ is one of the greatest tasks to be faced. Finally, the new review of investment priorities for the National Development Plan (NDP) is to have housing policy and investment as a core focus.