Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has said that “Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s housing proposals confirm they cannot be trusted on housing.” The comments were made in response to the Government partners’ housing policy launch that Eoin Ó Broin said: “will not only fail to address the housing and homelessness crisis but make it much worse by pushing up house prices and rents even further.”

Eoin Ó Broin said:

“Today Fianna Fáil launched their election manifesto with just 7 pages of vague housing promises. Fine Gael launched their housing policy with just 9 pages of commitments.

“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s threadbare housing proposals confirm that they cannot be trusted on housing.

“Both parties are ignoring the two key recommendations of their own Housing Commission. Their overall housing targets and their social and affordable housing targets are significant below what the Commission argued was needed to tackle unmet housing demand.

“Not only will these proposals fail to address the housing and homelessness crisis, but by increasing the so-called help to buy grant and extending it to second hand homes it will further push up house prices.

“It appears that the Government parties are now locked in a Celtic Tiger era auction to see who can jack up house prices the most.

“This will make the housing crisis worse, locking ever more people out of home ownership. It will also put greater pressure on the private rental sector by pushing up rents.

“Both parties’ decision to increase the renter’s tax credit without banning rent increases mean that landlords will pocket this payment in rent increases, with no actual benefit to the renter.

“The only way to bring an end to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s housing crisis is a change of Government and the implementation of Sinn Féin’s 109 page, comprehensive, detailed and fully costed alternative housing plan A Home Of Your Own.”