Sinn Féin will use the first private members business slot of the new Dáil term to debate a motion on affordable housing and local TD Pat Buckley is calling on all TDs to stand up for workers and families in East Cork and support the party’s motion.
He said: “Housing was one of the biggest issues of February’s general election and the delivery of affordable housing is something the new housing minister has paid a lot of lip service to.
“The reality is that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were in power for four years and failed to deliver any affordable homes to rent or to buy through any government scheme.
“Fine Gael did not publish any affordable housing scheme while leading the last government. Fianna Fáil has not published any detailed policy on affordable housing.
‘Costed commitments’
“The programme for government does not contain any affordable housing definitions, price points or targets. It is a repackaged commitment from the 2016 programme for government.
“Sinn Féin is the only political party to publish a detailed, costed policy on affordable housing.
“Our housing spokesperson published an affordable housing draft circular that would deliver affordable homes to rent and to buy on public land. This motion is based on that circular.
“We also made costed commitments in our Alternative Budgets for 2019 and 2020 and our General Election Manifesto.
“The government must undertake a massive house building programme on public land. That is the only way to deliver the genuinely affordable homes that people need.
“I am calling on all TDs to support this motion,” he concluded.
