Social Democrats to vote against motion expressing confidence in Housing Minister

Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has confirmed that his party will be voting against tomorrow’s Government motion expressing confidence in Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.

Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s Housing spokesperson, said: “We are now halfway through this Government’s term and all the key statistics on housing are pointing in the wrong direction.

“For the past two and a half years, the Minister has presided over a failed housing policy that has resulted in rents, house prices and homelessness reaching record levels.

“This has locked an entire generation out of home ownership, with increased numbers of adults in their twenties and thirties still sleeping in their childhood bedrooms.

“Shamefully, more than 11,000 people – 3,480 of them children – are now living in emergency homeless accommodation, a 31 percent increase since Darragh O’Brien took over as Housing Minister in 2020.

“Ultimately, homelessness can only be tackled by building more social, cost-rental and affordable purchase homes. But despite all the spin from the Minister, his department’s delivery rate in this area has been abysmal.

“It is hard to express confidence in a Minister whose housing policies are simply not working.

“Tomorrow’s motion ignores the human cost of our housing crisis and further highlights how out of touch with reality this Government is.”