Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien set to face motion of no confidence

The move will come just days before the Cabinet reshuffle, but it is expected the Government will table a counter-motion. 

Solidarity/People Before Profit will table a motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien on Wednesday, the group told Dáil Business Committee this morning.

The move will come just days before the Cabinet reshuffle, but it is expected the Government will table a counter-motion. 

At present, there is no indication that any Government TD would vote against Mr O'Brien, who has held the role since the Government was formed in 2020.

The motion is being tabled as the number of homeless people reaches record highs, with over 11,300 people now in emergency accommodation.

A Government spokesperson said the Government "has every confidence in Minister Darragh O'Brien".

Government sources said that there will be a counter-motion and that Solidarity/PBP was being "cynical".

Speaking in Galway, Leo Varadkar said the Government will "obviously" either oppose the motion of no confidence tabled in Mr O’Brien or will replace it with a motion of confidence in him.

The Tánaiste said to target an individual minister is wrong and that Mr O’Brien is working effectively in his portfolio.

Mr Varadkar said Mr O'Brien "has been a minister for just over two years now. I think we have seen significant progress and a lot of areas”.

He said that there will be 28,000 new homes built this year, the highest in over a decade but did accept the numbers of people falling into homelessness are going the wrong way.

“Sadly, we are going in the wrong direction in some things like homelessness but that can be turned around. 

"But I think to target the Minister is wrong. I know him personally, I know him as a colleague. I know he's working really hard. I know he's doing absolutely everything he can to improve the situation when it comes to housing,” Mr Varadkar said.

Mr Varadkar said the Housing Minister has the "full support" of Fine Gael.