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Members of the opposition have criticised the government for launching a progress report on its housing policy at the same time that Ryan Tubridy was being quizzed by the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee earlier today.
At midday today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave an update on the government’s Housing for All policy alongside Táiniste Micheál Martin, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.
However members of the opposition have criticised it for being scant on details.
Taking to Twitter, Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó’Broin questioned the timing of the report’s release and quipped that perhaps it was so “people won’t notice the lack of actual progress on social & affordable housing, tenant-in-situ purchases & homelessness.”
A Government spokesperson hit back against the criticism this evening, stating that such a comment “is pure opportunistic spin from Sinn Féin”, stating that they are “trying to make bad news out of good news”.
Why would @DarraghOBrienTD launch a Housing “Progress” Report at the same time as Ryan Tubridy is in front of a Dáil Committee? 🤔
— Eoin Ó Broin (@EOBroin) July 11, 2023
Maybe he’s hoping people wont notice the lack of actual progress on social & affordable housing, tenant-in-situ purchases & homelessness. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/OxJEWKfA6J
“The decision to hold the press conference at the same time as Ryan Tubridy and his agent were appearing before the Public Accounts Committee was a cynical attempt to bury what is pretty bad news,” Eoin Ó’ Broin said in a statement.
Disputing this, a spokesperson for Darragh O’Brien said that the report launch had been scheduled before the time was set for Ryan Tubridy, and his agent Noel Kelly, to appear before the Public Accounts Committee.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar noted the government’s “progress” on housing, but according to the Social Democrats today’s update showed that the government is “in denial about the scale of the crisis”.
Social Democrats deputy leader and spokesperson for housing Cian O’Callaghan said: “This so-called progress report does not shed any light on how this government will get to grips with the crisis – rather, it presents 53 pages of rehashed information and political spin.”
O’Callaghan added that there are some “glaring” omissions from the report.
“For instance, it contains no affordable housing delivery figures for the first half of 2023 and fails to mention that last year’s affordable housing targets were missed by some distance. It is also disappointing, but not surprising, that 13 actions in the Housing for All plan have been delayed,” he said.
O’Callaghan continued: “The scale of delivery under this Minister for Housing has been pathetic.”
He noted that only 323 affordable purchase homes and 684 cost rental homes were completed last year, far below the government’s target of 4,100.
“Housing is the most pressing issue facing people in this country. Rents continue to skyrocket, house prices are past their celtic tiger peak, hundreds of thousands of young adults are stuck living at home and homelessness is at its highest level in the history of the state,” O’Callaghan said.
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Little old IRELAND will solve the climate change..considering we seem to be solving all the other world
problems.
@Mogwai: Little old Ireland is not really doing enough as our emissions are still way too high and rising in some sectors. Meanwhile, other countries are putting in the hard graft to lower emissions. But of course, you’d like Ireland to belong to the other freeloading countries who are doing nothing or doing far too little.
@Name not provided: I was been abit sarcastic there pal….just putting out there Ireland like to think they can save the world…
@Mogwai: The emissions in the Dail Bar definitely need to be reduced.
@Mogwai: We cant save ourselves.
And 95 million promised to the greyhound and horse industry. Great country.
Ryan will pledge any money we have for his excuse to climate change
@giles wolohan: Horses and dogs are getting it now.
the biggest effect on the world is pollution, very few countries in the west now days are having a effect on Mother Nature. Our climate is getting warmer due to 2 reasons one Mother Natures natural cycles two we dont burn coal any more and without a huge smog cloud covering most of Ireland , uk and other Europe regions has returned our climate.
In other countries manufacturing has increased dramatically and the burning of coal, with us the effects was a cooler weather system with them it’s what we seeing now, which dose have a knock on effect globally.
We are currently in a good place and don’t need more taxes , maybe grow more trees along our motorways.
And make certain items illegal for companies to make use and sell on.
@J M: good that your hypotheses on what is affecting the globe’s climate is out there.
It’s just your own ill-informed nonsense opinion, not backed by any science but sure that’s far easier to do than actually get an education and study these matters deeply to actually understand them.
The internet has given a voice to everyone.
But you don’t need to show everyone you know very little.
@J M: Seems like you’ve been smoking some of Mother Nature’s finest. So it’s pure just natural cycles, coal, smog and manufacturing? Thank god for that planned row of trees along the M1. Absolutely delusional and random response there, buddy …
I get we all have to change our ways to help alleviate any problems that we cause to our environment. What I don’t get is why if you are rich you can carry on as normal because you can pay for your actions that damage the climate. I also don’t get that we are pushing so hard and as a result making life harder for the less well off as a result. This country was covered in trees before our rich neighbours cut them down to build their navy and polute the world from their industry, yet we pay far more for climate damaging actions than they do in terms of daily living costs. I also don’t get why everybody doesn’t get a carbon allowance if we really want to “save the planet”, but then why should you have to if you are rich, far better to make lower classes be colder in winter than ask rich people to get a bus to the airport and leave there Merc at home never mind asking them to only fly 5 or 6 times a year
Whinging and money stirred up by the climate cult as usual, it will go t third world corruption very little to where it may do some good.
All the heads fly into an oil rich country on private jets, eat meat laden banquets and tell the rest of us we are “collapsing” the climate by driving to work and eating our dinner. The hypocrisy is stunning. Maybe if you started using air temperatures instead of ground temperatures in urban settings during the summer your dire predictions of global meltdown wouldt be so bad. I have never heard such sensationalism in a speech in my life. Waiting on regular journal bots like name not provided or Brendan O Brien to spit some chips
€400 million pledged worldwide to assist those impacted by climate change at cop28. Irish government giving horse racing and greyhound racing €95 million
What is the Amount due in from China?? Biggest producer of greenhouse gasses in the world – fact as per news articles posted about a week ago.
@Irish Citizen: so nobody should bother unless China takes the lead?
Cue the group that will shout “Ireland is only small, we’ll make no difference.” Incidentally, my guess is that group are a bunch of jobless, long-term dole recipients. This freeloading attitude does not come from nowhere and, sure, what difference would their freeloading make to the public purse.
@Name not provided: Every one with a child is getting free money from the state every month, are they all freeloaders too?
2nd Peter 3:7, says the earth is reserved for destruction by fire, no amount of money or men will change the will of Him who created it. You can choose to listen to the word of men or the voice of God, your choice.
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