Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that Fine Gael are desperate to distract from their own housing failures.
The comments were made in response to an attack ad published by Fine Gael today.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“Fine Gael have been in Government for 12 years. During that time, house prices and rents have reached historic highs and are continuing to rise.
“Social and affordable housing targets, too low to begin with, are missed year after year.
“Homelessness is at its highest since records began, and an entire generation of young people are facing emigration because of the cost of housing.
“Rather than focus on fixing the housing crisis that they created, Fine Gael have decided to expend money and energy on a dishonest attack ad claiming that Sinn Féin has no plan to deliver affordable homes to purchase at prices below €300,000.
“This is nothing more than a desperate attempt by Fine Gael to distract from their own failure on housing. Not only do Fine Gael have no plan to deliver large numbers of genuinely affordable homes for working people, the policies they have been pursuing, along with Fianna Fáil, have continuously pushed up house prices.
“Contrary to their dishonest ad, Sinn Féin does have a plan to deliver genuinely affordable homes.
“We published our Delivering Affordable Homes policy paper in 2020.
”Every year since, we have published an Alternative Budget setting out our alternative to the Government’s failing plan.
“The fact that Fine Gael are desperately trying to hide behind attack ads confirms that they have nothing positive to say about housing. If they did, they would be telling people the number of genuinely affordable homes they have delivered. They are embarrassed to talk about their own record.
“Sinn Féin will continue to make the case for a massive increase in direct state investment in the delivery of the most ambitious social and affordable housing plan in the history of the state. That is the only way to undo the damage caused by 12 years of failed Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil housing policy.”
