The opposition has demanded the Government call a housing emergency as rents reach record highs.
However, both the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin both told the Irish Mirror that they are not currently considering tabling a no-confidence motion in Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.
A new Daft report published on Tuesday morning found that rents have increased by 14% in the last year.
The average renter is now paying an extra €2,000 compared to this time last year as rent inflation reaches record highs.
The average national rent is now €1,698 per month. According to Daft’s 2021 quarter three report for 2021, national rents were €1,516 at the same period last year.
The Raise the Roof group, which consists of a cross-party political group, will hold a protest this Saturday afternoon starting in Dublin’s Parnell Square.
There will also be a motion debated in the Dáil on Tuesday evening demanding that the Government declares a housing emergency.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin says that the publication of the Daft report shows a “manifestation of the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil of housing policy’.
“We've seen CSO reports last week showing house prices continue to rise,” he said.
“The Daft.ie report shows rents.
“Over the weekend incredible reports of half a billion euros of capital spending for social affordable housing not being spent by the department and the minister who is asleep at the wheel.
“This is the Minister who only two weeks ago said he didn't believe we're in the middle of a housing emergency.”
When asked if his party would consider tabling a motion of no confidence in Minister O’Brien, Mr Ó Broin said that this was not under consideration.
Cian O’Callaghan, the Social Democrats' spokesperson on housing, also said that his party is not considering a no confidence motion.
However, he said that the vote on the switchover of Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who he described as “tweedle dumb and tweedle dee” will show that his party has no confidence in the coalition.
People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd-Barrett called the Government’s housing policy a “shambles”, as he called the number of vacant properties in Ireland an “utter scandal”.
Labour’s housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan warned that when homelessness figures are released this Friday they will likely break records.
“All the indicators are that the Government’s housing policy is failing,” she said.
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