Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has said that the Government tonight took the clear decision to side with vulture funds over siding with aspiring homeowners.

Deputy Doherty was responding after the Government voted to reject Sinn Féin’s Dáil motion, which sought to end the practice of vulture funds bulk-purchasing homes from under the noses of workers and families.

Teachta Doherty said:

“There was a clear choice to make tonight – to side with vulture funds or to side with aspiring home-owners, and the Government opted to side with the vultures.

“The recent revelations of investment funds buying up 46 of 54 homes at Belcamp Manor in Dublin was not an isolated incident.

“We now know that vulture funds bought up 6,000 homes in 2022 – that’s one in ten of all homes sold that year.

“For some time, Sinn Féin argued for new laws and a higher rate of stamp duty to be charged to stop this unfair and unacceptable practice, and that was the focus of our motion voted on tonight.

“Yet instead of joining with us in siding with aspiring home-owners, the Government tonight rolled out the red carpet for vulture funds to continue to snap up homes that should be available for workers and families to buy.

“Only a Sinn Féin Government would end this practice, and undo the damage of decades of bad Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael housing policy.”