Tánaiste accuses Sinn Féin of being ‘against home ownership’

Tánaiste Micheál Martin accused Sinn Féin of being “against home ownership” as the war of words between the two parties on housing continued in the wake of Fianna Fáil’s ardfheis.

Mr Martin, the Fianna Fáil leader, devoted a significant portion of his speech on Saturday to housing, telling delegates that “for the first time in years, we have started to make strides forward”.

He said, “By every measure of home permissions, completions, home purchases, first-time buyers and mortgage drawdowns, we are seeing positive movement.

“By the end of this year, 100,000 homes will have been built since we took up this challenge” and every week 500 first-time buyers are buying a new home.

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“We are not there yet,” Mr Martin continued, “but for the first time in years a real momentum is building.”

He said the “main opposition party” had opposed affordable housing initiatives like Help-to-Buy and the First Homes Scheme and was “consistently negative towards the concept of supporting home ownership”.

He said Fianna Fáil disagreed with this and would “continue to support people who want to buy a home”.

[ Housing crisis: Sinn Féin is ‘anti-first-time buyers’, says Martin ]

[ ‘A matter for the voters’: War of words erupts between Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil over housing ]

On Sunday, Mr Martin accused Sinn Féin of being “against homeownership”, telling RTÉ's The Week in Politics “they would turn back the clock in respect of the help and assistance we’re giving young, first-time buyers today”.

Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin later responded saying: “Schemes like so-called Help-to-Buy and the very controversial shared-equity loan push up house prices.”

Mr Ó Broin said the average cost of a home has become €70,000 more expensive since Fianna Fáil went into government and he criticised the number of affordable homes delivered.

Separately, Mr Martin said reports of a row in government over proposals to limit State-provided accommodation to Ukrainian refugees to 90 days were “overplayed”.

Green Party Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman is finalising the proposals to time-limit supports.

There has been concern expressed at Cabinet about the impact this would have amid the ongoing housing crisis.

Mr Martin was asked if the proposal was seen as an attempt to shift the issue of providing accommodation for refugees to Fianna Fáil Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien.

The Tánaiste said there needed to be a “comprehensive package” and “there has to be other departments involved”.

He said the most fundamental point for him is that refugee children needed access to school places and said: “You just can’t say to a child, you’re in a particular location and you may be gone from there in 90 days, therefore you’re not going into a school.

[ ‘We have started to make strides forward’ on housing, Martin tells Fianna Fáil ardfheis ]

[ Meeting housing needs means redirecting our resources ]

“I’m not saying that has been proposed, but I want, absolutely, guarantees on that front.”

At the ardfheis on Saturday, Mr O’Brien said there could be no “cliff-edge” to supports for Ukrainian refugees.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also said during his visit to Seoul last week that the Government hoped to introduce measures before the end of this year to require Ukrainian refugees to pay for their accommodation and change their social welfare benefits. The details have yet to be agreed and any changes to social welfare benefits will require legislation, but both measures will be introduced at the same time.

Separately on Sunday, Mr Martin brushed aside speculation that he could be Ireland’s next European commissioner, saying he would lead Fianna Fáil into the next election.

He told Virgin Media News: “I like the cut and thrust of executive decision-making… You have that opportunity in government to make decisions that can make a profound impact”. He said that he preferred “the domestic scene”.