Sinn Féin calls on Fianna Fáil to detail social housing spending plan

Fianna Fáil claims about social housing record not borne out by facts, says Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin said Fianna Fáil had not fully outlined how much it would spend on social and affordable housing. Photograph: Eric Luke
Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin said Fianna Fáil had not fully outlined how much it would spend on social and affordable housing. Photograph: Eric Luke

Fianna Fáil should fully outline how much it plans to spend on social and affordable housing if it claims that the Government is overly reliant on the private rented sector to solve the housing crisis, Sinn Féin has said.

Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman, also said claims from Fianna Fáil about a strong record in providing social houses are not borne out by the facts.

Mr Ó Broin said that between 1998, the year after Bertie Ahern took office, and 2011, when the Fine Gael-Labour government was elected, the cost to the State of rent subsidy payments climbed to €620 million from €90 million, an increase of 588 per cent.

The Dublin Mid-West TD said he collated the figures in response to statements from Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who said there was an over-reliance on the private sector without enough building of public housing.

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He said Fianna Fáil had not fully outlined exactly how much it would spend on social and affordable housing, nor produced a plan on how to do so.

The debate between the two Opposition parties comes as Sinn Féin sources say that one of their main tasks in the next election will be to close the gap between it and Fianna Fáil.

One party figure said one of the Sinn Féin strategies is to ensure that the gap, in votes cast in some constituencies if not seats, between Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil is narrower than that between Mr Martin’s party and Fine Gael.

“Fianna Fáil between 1998 and 2011 had more resources available to them at any other time in the history of the State and they failed to adequately deliver real social housing.

“For example, in 2006, despite the fact that that year saw the largest number of housing units built in the history of the State, of the 93,419 residential units built, just 3,361 real social housing units were delivered, a paltry 6.8 per cent of residential construction.”

He said Mr Martin has not prioritised housing in the confidence-and-supply deal Fianna Fáil has with Fine Gael, and which underpins the minority government.