Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD has criticised the government’s decision to oppose his plan to invest in affordable housing.

This evening, the Dáil debated a Private Member’s Bill by Teachta Ó Broin, to dramatically increase direct capital investment in the delivery of genuinely affordable homes to buy.

Speaking this evening, he said:

“The government’s decision to oppose Sinn Féin’s housing plans this evening is disgraceful and shows how unwilling they are to address the urgent housing crisis that is devastating lives across this country.

“In my motion, I set out in a clear way how the state can invest in affordable homes to buy. Passing this motion would have been a major step in tackling the housing crisis and ensuring that people on ordinary incomes can buy a home at a genuinely affordable price.

“Earlier this week, figures released to me by the government exposed scandalously low targets for genuinely affordable homes. The lack of ambition by this government is failing people affected by the housing crisis.

“Sinn Féin’s motion commits the government to urgently revise the affordable purchase home targets agreed with Local Authorities to deliver on average at least 4,000 affordable purchase homes a year from 2022 to 2026. It would also scrap the scandalous Help to Buy scheme and Shared Equity Loan scheme which push up prices and divert the funding into the delivery of genuinely affordable homes.

“Crucially, it would ensure that all affordable purchase homes are sold at prices that working people can afford.

“The government can and must do much more to ensure people can buy a genuinely affordable home, instead they are opposing our plans that would make a positive difference in people’s lives. For a Minister who spends his time repeating the phrase ‘I believe in homeownership’, Darragh O’Brien has a funny way of showing it.”