Mary Lou promises biggest housing programme in history of the State

The Sinn Fein leader has urged voters to grasp the opportunity to choose change at the next elections

President of Sinn Fein Mary Lou McDonald TD arriving at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis which is taking place in the Athlone Institute of Technology today. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Sinn Féin in Government will "roll up its sleeves" to deliver the biggest housing programme in the history of the State, Mary Lou McDonald has vowed.

Addressing the party's Ard Fheis, Ms McDonald said Sinn Féin will prioritise housing; transform health; support Irish businesses, and will unite the country to build a "nation home" for everyone.

She has urged voters to grasp the opportunity to choose change and to make history in the local, European and general elections where she suggested choosing a Government that does not involve Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael for the first time in 100 years is now a possibility.

"The stark choice at the next election is between a worsening housing crisis under this government or a new government, led by Sinn Féin that will fix housing, once and for all."

Speaking to almost 2,000 delegates in Athlone, Ms McDonald said Sinn Féin will provide genuinely affordable homes and would "build enough of them, get the targets right, increase capital expenditure, cut rents, giving a month’s rent back to every renter, and ban rent increases for three years. Implement a real emergency response to the scourge of homelessness."

She added: "We won’t stop there. We’ll cut red tape and bureaucracy. Bring thousands of vacant homes back into use Harness new technologies for housing construction.

"Deliver the biggest housing programme in the history of the state!

"We will roll up our sleeves and get the job done."

She said that under current retrofitting schemes ordinary households "haven’t a hope of retrofitting their homes" and new supports are required.

On supporting the economy, Ms McDonald said her party would work with Irish businesses, collaborating on driving economic growth, success, and prosperity for everyone.

She also underscored the importance of giving people the right to retire on their pension at age 65.

Turning to the issue of a united Ireland, she said those involved in the Good Friday Agreement "wrote Ireland’s chapter of peace" and now this generation "must write the chapter of unity".

While she said Government must plan for democratic constitutional change with a Citizens Assembly on unity, she did not provide any timeline on when she would like to see a border poll.

"The day is coming when everyone on this island will have their say in referendums," said Ms McDonald.