Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD has expressed his disappointment that the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party members of the Oireachtas Housing Committee did not support progressive amendments put forward by Sinn Féin and others to strengthen the committee’s pre-legislative report on the Affordable Housing Bill.

Speaking after the Committee meeting, Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Sinn Féin tabled a number of developments to ensure that government investment in affordable homes to rent and buy would be delivered at prices working people can genuinely afford. 

“We proposed to scrap the pro-developer shared equity loan scheme, and to divert the allocated €75million to local authority and approved housing body affordable rental and purchase homes.

“We also proposed amendments that would prevent public funds from being used by private developers as this would push up the price of the homes beyond the reach of many working people.  

“We also supported other opposition amendments that would have ensured that rents for cost rental homes would not be more than 30% of a renter’s take-home pay.

“That Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party opposed all of these progressive amendments shows they are not serious about delivering genuinely affordable homes that working people can rent and buy.

“Sinn Féin is committed to bringing forward measures that will reduce the cost of housing. The government TDs and Senators are happy to see taxpayers’ money used for subsidising unaffordable market housing.

“It is clear there has been no change in housing policy from the last government and the big losers will be first time buyers, single people and people who suffered relationship breakdown and lost their family home.

“The only way to tackle the affordable housing crisis is to fund local authorities, approved housing bodies and community housing trusts to deliver affordable homes to rent and buy at scale.”