Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD has urged the government to commit to a doubling of capital investment in public housing in Budget 2022.  

The call comes as a report published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) today called on government to double capital investment on housing to €4 billion annually.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“The ESRI report published today is a significant intervention in the housing debate.

“The report calls for a doubling of capital investment in public housing to €4bn per year, to deliver 18,000 additional public homes a year.

“This echoes what Sinn Féin has been calling for, for years. A doubling of capital investment in public housing to deliver 20,000 public homes per year.

“Fine Gael has spent a decade in government, tinkering around the edges, while being led by the nose by institutional investors and big developers.

“Under their watch, not one affordable home to rent or to buy has been delivered by any central government scheme.

“Fianna Fáil made some big promises in opposition, yet Darragh O’Brien’s first Budget as Minister only secured an additional €163m in capital funding.

“€124m to deliver an additional 593 social homes and €35m to deliver just over 400 cost rental homes. 

“This miserable additional funding commitment will do little to address the scale of the social and affordable housing crisis.

“Budget 2022 provides this government with an opportunity to substantially increase investment in public homes, as Sinn Féin and now the ESRI are advocating for.”