Sinn Féin leader on Dublin City Council and candidate for Dublin in the European election, Cllr Daithí Doolan, has said change is needed to get to grips with the city’s housing crisis.
Information released to the party by the Department of Housing has revealed that the state is leasing social homes from the private sector at a cost of up to €3,200 per month. The figures show 155 properties were being let for more than €2,000 a month, the majority of which are in Dublin.
Cllr Doolan said:
“The housing crisis is causing misery for people across Dublin. People feel trapped paying eye watering sums of rent and unable to save up for a deposit, or else putting their lives on hold while living at home into their thirties or forties.
“Dublin has been badly let down by Fianna Fáil. We have a Fianna Fáil Housing Minister who misses his targets to build homes time and time again. Meanwhile, rents continue to spiral and the Minister fails to act. Homelessness is at a record high.
“Dublin has a Fianna Fáil Mayor and Fianna Fáil are the biggest party on Dublin City Council. Barry Andrews is Dublin’s Fianna Fáil MEP. During his time as an MEP, Barry Andrews has failed to stand up for Dublin and has shown he has no interest in tackling the housing crisis. The people of Dublin deserve better.
“These figures obtained by my colleague, Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing Eoin Ó Broin TD, have revealed that the state is leasing social homes from the private sector at a cost of up to €3,200 per month. This is scandalous and reflects a government housing policy that is shambolic. Instead of spending money on these expensive leases, the government should spend this money on delivering genuinely affordable homes for people on ordinary incomes to buy.
“Barry Andrews must be clear about whether he stands over his party’s abject failure on housing. The people of Dublin deserve to know why their MEP continues to be silent on one of the biggest issues facing workers and families in our capital city.
“His party like to claim their hands are tied on housing policy by European bureaucracy and red tape. But if this is true, he must explain why he hasn’t challenged the EU on public procurement and bureaucratic processes or taken any steps to reform it. My priority as MEP for Dublin would be to deliver these urgent reforms, so that the people of this city get the housing that meets their needs.
“Barry Andrews also needs to explain why he hasn’t prioritised working with others at European level to declare a housing emergency and ensure that everything possible is done to end the housing crisis his party has overseen.
“Every day that Fianna Fáil remain in office, the worse things are getting. It’s time for a change of government. Housing would be the number one priority of a Sinn Féin government.
“Change starts here in the European elections. A vote for Sinn Féin on 7th June is the first step towards getting this disastrous government out of office.”
