'I believe in homeownership - I'm not sure you do': Taoiseach and Sinn Féin leader clash

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald said the recent massive increase in house prices "locks out a whole generation of homeownership"

Mr Martin accepted that access to housing for thousands of people is the greatest challenge to be met and that up to 35,000 homes or more will be needed per year to resolve that crisis. File photo

Housing is the single biggest challenge facing the government but the delivery of homes “will be much better this year”, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has told the Dáil.

During sharp exchanges with Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald, Mr Martin accused the lead Opposition party of “sneakily” voting for housing schemes while publicly railing against them.

Ms McDonald said the government is facing a refugee crisis on top of the existing housing crisis and the Housing for All Plan “already lies in tatters and is not fit for purpose.”

Mr Martin accepted that access to housing for thousands of people is the greatest challenge to be met and that up to 35,000 homes or more will be needed per year to resolve that crisis.

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“I’ve repeatedly said in this House, and since I became Taoiseach, that housing remains the most serious social issue and crisis facing our country. The last two years have been very difficult in house construction because of two significant lockdowns. But putting that to one side, for more perspective, access to housing is fundamental. Social housing, affordable housing, and a variety of housing types that will meet the needs of a modern society,” he told Ms McDonald.

But then he attacked Ms McDonald and her party’s lack of substantive policies on housing and accused them of blocking much-needed housing projects for ideological reasons.  “I believe in homeownership. I'm not sure that you do what with all that your party does,” he said to Ms McDonald directly.

“Because you've opposed every measure to do with affordability. 29,000 people benefited from the Help to Buy scheme. You've posted resolutely since its inception,” he said.

“On the Shared Equity scheme, you play a double game. You actually sneakily vote for it in the end, despite all your ranting and raving about it,” the Taoiseach said referencing Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Féin’s Housing spokesman.

“So he opposes Shared Equity allegedly, but ends up voting for us when it came to the House,” he said.

Ms McDonald fired back saying that there are 10,000 people in homeless accommodation, that the country is dealing with a massive housing emergency and the scale of the government response needs to match that reality.

She said on Monday three separate reports were published all showing another massive increase in house prices and in parts of rural Ireland, these increases are more than 20%. So the average price of a home across the state now is close to €300,000 and in Dublin it is far more than that.

She said this means that one would need earnings of between €77,000 and upwards of €100,000 in most of the state to afford a home. 

“This is so far above the wages of the vast majority of workers as to make homeownership nearly impossible. This locks out a whole generation of homeownership,” she said.