Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin TD has labelled the first Budget of the new Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil/Green Party government as a “wasted opportunity to invest in a truly ambitious public housing programme.”

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“The new government has failed its first and most important test on housing and what we have seen today is more of the same failed housing policy of the last government.

“The Fianna Fáil Minister for Housing, despite all his talk, has failed to secure the level of capital investment required to tackle the social and affordable housing crisis.

“Today was a wasted opportunity to invest in a truly ambitious public housing programme.

“What was announced was devoid of urgency or ambition.

“There was nothing for struggling renters.

“Just 593 extra real social homes have been provided for above what had been committed to by Eoghan Murphy in Rebuilding Ireland for 2021.

“Just €110m for affordable housing was announced. This is to be split between 400 cost rental homes and an as of yet undefined shared equity scheme.

“No additional funding has been provided above what had been pre-committed (€50 million) for local authorities to deliver affordable homes to rent or buy on Council land.

“Like the previous government, we see no targets for affordable homes to rent or buy in 2021

“What is very clear from the Budget is that more new money will go to private landlords and private developers than will go towards genuinely affordable homes for working people.”