THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS are to table a motion of no confidence in housing minister Eoghan Murphy next Tuesday.
Party co-leader Róisín Shortall confirmed this morning that the party will publish the no-confidence motion in Murphy due to this government’s “failure to solve to the housing crisis”.
During Leaders’ Questions today, Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said “enough is enough” and confirmed that his party will be supporting the motion.
Fianna Fáil’s housing spokesperson, Darragh O’Brien has said his party will not support the motion.
Murphy has come under pressure for a number of issues, most notably the significant number of homeless people in Ireland.
The Department’s figures show that 10,397 people were in emergency accommodation in Ireland in September, including 6,524 adults and 3,873 children.
Ó Broin asked Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, “are you on the side of homeless children or are you on the side of Eoghan Murphy?”
He said Fianna Fáil can no longer criticise the government’s housing policy while propping up this government.
“Behind the problem is thousands of families who can’t afford to pay rent. There’s a whole generation of young people who can no longer aspire to buy their own home. The government has completely failed by outsourcing,” Shortall said today about her party’s motion.
“This Minister and this Government have relied on ‘the market’ to provide solutions to our housing emergency. Under Minister Eoghan Murphy’s watch housing has been even more unaffordable to buy or to rent.”
“Fianna Fáil has a difficult decision next week, stand with Fine Gael or with the people.”
Asked about the vote today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said:
What I can tell you with absolute certainty is motions of confidence aren’t going to build any houses. However, Minister Murphy, implementing our plan for housing is delivering houses. We know this year over 20,000 new homes have been built, more than any year in a decade; and we know when it comes to the social housing, for example, that about 1,000 houses will be added to the social stock this year, more than any year this century. So while there may have been a slow start, and there are reasons for that, things are really getting going again when it comes to house building and I think Minister Murphy should be allowed to continue with his work and increase the amount of housing provided.
When asked if he has confidence in Murphy, he said he has “100% confidence in my ministers”.
Today, Murphy branded the motion as a “stunt”. He hit out at the Social Democrats in the Dáil stating that the party has not attempted to table any proposed housing legislation.
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