Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD has today said that the Government’s housing plan is “failing”and that “we need a general election”.

Teachta Ó Broin’s comments come on the first anniversary of the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien’s housing plan.

The Dublin Mid-West TD said:

“Today is the first anniversary of Darragh O’Brien’s housing plan. He has been Minister for over two years now. During his term in office the housing crisis continued to deteriorate.

“In the last two years rents have increased by 15% and house prices by 20%. A new rental in Dublin is now more than €2,000 per month.

“An entire generation is locked out of home ownership. The number of young people forced to live with their parents because of the high cost of housing is now at an all time high of 41%.

“Since Darragh O’Brien ended the ban on evictions in April 2021, homelessness has increased by 30%. Pensioner homelessness has increased by 27%.

“Shockingly child homelessness has jumped by 43%. How is it that in a wealthy country like Ireland, with tens of thousands of vacant properties, Government cant find homes for pensioners and children?

“Meanwhile delivery of social and affordable housing continues to lag way behind demand. In fact on the basis of figures provided by the Minister, it is clear that the Government is going to miss its social and affordable housing targets for a third year in a row.

“This Government can not solve the housing crisis. How could they, given that they and the vested interests they represent caused the crisis?

“Only a change of Government and a radical change of housing policy can start to undo three decades of bad Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael housing policy.

‘We need a Government that will deliver 20,000 public homes a year to meet social and affordable housing need. A Government that will ban rent increases for all existing and new tenancies and put a months rent back in every private renters pocket with a refundable tax credit.

“A Government that will introduce an emergency package of measures to stop the relentless rise in homelessness. A Government that will set a date for a referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution.

“These are the key policies that a Sinn Féin led Government would introduce to tackle Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s housing crisis. The Government’s housing plan is failing. We need a general election.”