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Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien wins Dáil confidence vote by 86 votes to 63

A motion of no confidence was tabled by People Before Profit-Solidarity.

LAST UPDATE | 13 Dec 2022

THE GOVERNMENT HAS won a motion of confidence in Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien in the Dáil this evening.

It comes after a motion of no confidence was tabled by People Before Profit-Solidarity earlier this week.

However, the Government tabled a motion of confidence in O’Brien, which was won this evening by 86 votes to 63, with one abstention.

The Government received support from a number of Independent TDs, while TDs from Sinn Féin, People Before Profit-Solidarity, Labour and the Social Democrats voted against the motion.

The initial motion had stated that the minister’s housing policies “are creating a catastrophic failure that is tearing apart the social fabric of Irish society”, and calls for O’Brien to be removed from office.

It also notes the failure of the Government to deliver on the “worsening housing and homelessness crisis” which the motion states is “leading to the scapegoating of refugees and International Protection applicants”.

Monthly homeless figures, which rose above 11,397 last month – the highest number ever recorded – are also highlighted in the motion’s text.

Government is set to put down a counter-motion and there is no indication that any Government TD will vote against the housing minister. 

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said yesterday that it is wrong to target an individual minister, stating that O’Brien is working hard to deal with the housing crisis. 

TD Bríd Smith has said the no confidence in the minister and his government is not being tabled for personal reasons, but is based on the fact that the housing crisis continues to deteriorate.

“The housing crisis has long been regarded as an emergency, but now we can see that it is an absolute catastrophe. Simply put, our housing system is broken thanks to successive failures of government policy,” she said. 

The motions will be debated later this afternoon, with a roll call vote taking place directly afterwards. 

Additional reporting by Tadgh McNally

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    Mute Jazz O'Gorman
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:53 PM

    Same old, nobody cares anymore.

    76
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    Mute Gerry Connors
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:15 PM

    Fantastic work by the Gardai, well done. I’m sure they’ll end up arresting someone for it.

    71
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:49 PM

    Yep, that’s got to be the last of it too.
    The war is over.

    101
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    Mute Tony Clifton
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    Oct 27th 2013, 2:09 PM

    Yes that’s surely the end of this whole drug thing now .

    40
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    Mute Tony Clifton
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    Oct 27th 2013, 2:11 PM

    History has proved one thing probation always works.

    32
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    Mute Mike Dowling
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    Oct 27th 2013, 1:03 PM

    Gardai stocking up before Ming legalizes it ?

    70
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    Mute Mel Finn
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:06 PM

    ‘High’ 5 to the guards well done!

    64
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    Mute Lee Craig Edward Turnbull
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    Oct 27th 2013, 10:14 PM

    I don’t condone the support of corporate government storm troopers seizing a herb and persecuting florists for one reason, to extort them of their produce and use it for their own agenda. Supporting such tyranny is treason!!

    7
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    Mute James O'mahony
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    Oct 27th 2013, 3:19 PM

    Its hilarious when I read a comment like “fantastic job by the gardai” , weed is the least of the countries problems and it seems like the gardai are spending the majority of their time focused on cannabis and not the drugs that are destroying the country like heroin . Heroins creeping in everywhere these days , in the last three years in Cork its after flooding the streets . Wake up and open your eyes weed should have been legalised years ago so we can focus on the plague that is heroin .

    63
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    Mute Sean Mahoney
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    Oct 27th 2013, 2:25 PM

    such a waste of Gardai time. its a plant FFS.

    but then again if they where not going after herb farmers, they would be out tax collecting.

    61
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    Mute Criminal
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:13 PM

    isn’t legal yet :/

    Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamnnn ◇

    50
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    Mute Jamie Edwards
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    Oct 27th 2013, 1:54 PM

    Lots of seizures recently, if I didn’t know any better I’d say a few weeks ago they gave it a lash and found out it’s really not that bad!

    49
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    Mute Cpm
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:04 PM

    There goes my stash

    47
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    Mute GatheringYourMoney13
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    Oct 27th 2013, 11:39 PM

    Canabis Herb?
    Were they making herbal tea?

    1
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    Mute Dublinjonny
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:25 PM

    Guards seizing a lot of things up in tallaght ….. will it be returned to the owner after a DNA test? Will the liberial parasites claim this is discriminating against drug dealers ? Will this be blamed on the gay community by those oppossed to gay marriage ? Who knows

    45
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    Mute Jack Nolan
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    Oct 27th 2013, 2:52 PM

    NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!. What a waste!!, just share it out.

    38
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    Mute Tony Slap
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:25 PM

    Good seizure but it is a pity that the criminals were not caught in possession.

    32
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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    Oct 27th 2013, 3:12 PM

    Yeah, isn’t it great to see our tax payers money and the Gardaí’s time & resources being wasted on the seizing of plants, I’m sure we’ll all sleep better tonight knowing that there’s a little less of the “evil weed” out there.

    56
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    Mute Tony Slap
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    Oct 27th 2013, 5:39 PM

    I certainly will.

    3
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    Mute Rockspebbles
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    Oct 27th 2013, 3:27 PM

    It’s actually legal to grow it in Spain for personal use. Ridiculous waste of manpower.

    30
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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:37 PM

    Ritious bust Garda. Well done.

    29
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    Mute Kian David Griffin
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    Oct 27th 2013, 1:34 PM

    Well, there goes my idea for opening whitecastle in tallaght

    28
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    Mute Matt
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    Oct 27th 2013, 5:00 PM

    Millions of euros in lost tax every year.

    26
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    Mute marty johnbann
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    Oct 27th 2013, 4:28 PM

    Could the Garda not wait for someone to be home before they raided the house

    12
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    Mute Mark Miller
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:56 PM

    Amazing how the seizures of cannabis increase as the new college terms start. Any correlation?

    9
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    Mute Gaius Gracchus
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:07 PM

    Shut up Crime

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    Mute Gaius Gracchus
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:37 PM

    Sometimes when people are on the bus or wearing gloves they accidentally hit the red thumb

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    Mute Cpm
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    Oct 27th 2013, 12:56 PM

    Wearing gloves in this weather? Hand in your man-card at the next available opportunity

    43
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    Mute Gaius Gracchus
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    Oct 27th 2013, 2:20 PM

    Oh you big brute you!

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    Mute Jonathan Bambury
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    Oct 28th 2013, 7:24 AM

    Its insane to have a drugs siezure of any size and not arrest those responsible. Personally im in agreement with legalising weed, but if its against the law and the gardai have put the effort into a seizure the least I would expect is good intell before shutting it down.

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    Mute Decius Flaherus
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    Oct 27th 2013, 11:29 PM

    Free them – put yourselves in jail :)

    1
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