The head of a homeless charity has criticised the Government's decision to reappoint the Chair of the Housing Agency.

Focus Ireland says it is concerned at the surprise re-appointment of Conor Skehan as chairman of the Housing Agency, claiming that the move “raises quite significant challenges”.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has disagreed with a claim by the outgoing chair of the Government Housing Agency, Conor Skehan, that some people are pretending to be homeless to skip housing queues.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Solidarity TDs — not always known for sober assessment — are correct in arguing that there appears to be a co-ordinated by the Government to “spin” the narrative on the housing crisis.

As Focus Ireland figures show another 74 families became homeless in Dublin last month, the Housing Agency has called for grants to refurbish the hundreds of thousands of homes lying vacant.

A survey has found that mortgage repayments are now more affordable than rent across most of the country.

21,000 target for new homes for this year In 2014 just over 11,000 new homes became available.

REMARKS made by Conor Skehan, chairman of the Housing Agency and the Government’s lead adviser on housing policy, may come back to haunt him.

Two mothers who joined forces to fight for homeless families like their own say they won’t give up until every family has a secure place to call home.

TOUGHER inspection laws in Britain make it “highly unlikely” that a situation could arise like Priory Hall in Dublin, where residents had to evacuate the development because of serious fire safety concerns, a building expert has claimed.

THE Government has broken promises it made to compensate turfcutters affected by EU laws which ban them from cutting on specified protected bogs, it has been claimed.

TURF-CUTTERS are once again on a collision course with Government officials whom they claim are reneging on a deal struck with the help of the Peatlands Council last month.

THE head of a new mediation body set up to address complaints by rural dwellers banned from cutting turf in ecologically sensitive areas has promised to deal fairly and sensitively with those affected.

THE proposed landfill site in North Cork at Bottlehill is fully compliant with the prevailing planning and development policies for the county, a public hearing in Mallow heard yesterday.