LAST UPDATE | 23 Mar 2023

WEXFORD TD VERONA Murphy has slammed the government’s housing policies, after voting against the coalition yesterday.

While most members of the Regional Independent Group voted with Government after securing amendments, Murphy opposed the government’s counter-motion to a Sinn Féin motion to extend the ban.

She described yesterday’s vote as a “mockery”.

"If I have one homeless child in Wexford, one child that isn't accommodated, I'll be bringing it here and it'll be sitting in the Ceann Comhairle's lap."

TD Verona Murphy gave a damning excoriation of the Irish government's housing policy in the Dáil this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/RrOdct1hfH

— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) March 23, 2023

Becoming emotional while speaking during Leaders’ Questions, Murphy particularly criticised the Government on planning.

“You and your minister have failed to influence policy that makes viability a planning consideration,” she said.

“It’s time we all stopped the BS. It’s a time when we should be pulling together,” she added.

“If I have one child in Wexford that isn’t accommodated, I’ll be bringing it here and it’ll be sitting in the Ceann Comhairle’s lap,” Murphy said.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin took issue with Murphy’s characterisation of a Department of Housing official as not having “any brains”, responding: “We’re not all as ingenious as you are.”

The government won yesterday’s vote by a margin of 83 votes to 68.

Speculation will likely be high in the coming week over whether independent TDs will again back the coalition for a vote of no confidence tabled by the Labour party for next week.

Additionally, attention has now turned to the number of asks that were made to the government by independents in return for their support.

The motion reads that the Government by its refusal to extend the ban on evictions “has made a deliberate and conscious decision to expose thousands of people to the risk of immediate homelessness”.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said yesterday that tabling a no confidence motion in the Dáil is not something her party does lightly.

Bacik said everyone has the right to a home but yesterday’s vote showed the Government’s belief in this was “qualified”.

“The vote copper-fastened the fear and anxiety for everyone in this country who was renting and who has received a notice to quit in recent months,” she said.

She said the Government “cobbled together” measures to shore up support for the counter-motion, adding that some of the new proposals “appear to be antithetical” to government’s own aims.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said today he has not yet spoken to any independent TDs in relation to how they will vote in the no-confidence motion.

He said it wasn’t the first motion of confidence the Government has faced down, stating “it will be defeated, it will be defeated by a significant margin”.

“Does anyone really think these motions are going to pass? Of course they’re not. This is political theatre and it is disappointing we don’t see the opposition using its time to actually put forward solutions,” he said.

As well as Labour’s no-confidence vote, Sinn Féin is attempting to progress legislation to extend the eviction ban.

The party’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin introduced the legislation at First Stage in the Dáil today.

The Second Stage debate will take place next week.

Note: An earlier version of this article stated that most members of the Rural Independent Group voted with the Government. Five of the six members of the Rural Independent Group – which is a separate entity to the Regional Independent Group – voted against the Government motion.