Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD has criticised the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien for delivering just 5% of the 440 affordable cost rental homes promised for 2021.
The figures were obtained by Deputy Ó Broin in a response to a Parliamentary Question received in December from Minister O’Brien.
Teachta Ó Broin said:
“Minister O’Brien promised to deliver 440 affordable cost rental homes in 2021. 390 of these were to be bought by Approved Housing Bodies through a new Cost Rental Equity Loan fund, with a further 50 to be delivered by Eoghan Murphy’s Serviced Sites Fund.
“According to a response to a Parliamentary Question I received in December, just 25 of these homes have been tenanted to date in 2021. This is a delivery rate of 5%.
“A further 40 are promised to be tenanted before the end of the year but whether this actually happens is an open question.
“The fact that the government only promised 440 affordable cost rental homes for 2021 was clear evidence that they were not serious about addressing the affordability crisis in the rental sector.
“That they have only delivered 25 of these homes to date shows they neither have the will nor the ability to deliver cost rental on the scale that is needed.
“It should be remembered that the Serviced Sites Fund was launched by Eoghan Murphy in 2018. It was to fund councils to deliver 6200 affordable homes to rent and buy by 2021.
“The first 50 of these homes have not yet been completed yet despite repeated promises by Minister O’Brien that they would be complete this year.
“So, after a year and a half in office, Minister O’Brien has not delivered a single affordable home to purchase through the Serviced Sites Fund and just 25 affordable cost rental homes through the Cost Rental Equity Loan Scheme.
“Minister O’Brien has promised that 2022 will be the year of delivery on affordable housing. With this track record that is a promise that will be hard to deliver.”
