News

The ongoing failure to act demonstrates that the Government has learned nothing from the disastrous impact of construction defects Today the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, has published a report on building defects in apartments and duplexes. There are a series of urgent actions the Government must now take, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson […]

It now costs an average of €27,120 per year to rent a house in Dublin – this is utterly unacceptable and unsustainable The latest Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) Rent Index – revealing rents grew by over 9.2% in the last year – shows rents are completely out of control, says Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan […]

On every metric, the housing crisis is getting worse The latest Housing for All progress report shows only 16 of the 30 Housing for All actions promised for Q2 2022 were completed. Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said: “The Government has failed to deliver almost half of its promised actions in the Housing for […]

The Minister must explain why he is going to guillotine this legislation with virtually no debate, no scrutiny and no oversight Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien must explain why he is ramming through planning amendments that will seriously limit the ability of the public to challenge decisions of An Bord Pleanála – in advance of reviews […]

People are becoming homeless in areas which are not designated as Rent Pressure Zones The Government’s decision to limit stricter controls on short-term lets to Rent Pressure Zones is a huge mistake, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan “The Social Democrats have been calling for stricter controls on short-term lets for many years, […]

We do not know if Mr Hyde had sight of a draft copy of the Farrell review before he tendered his resignation Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien must make a statement to the Dáil outlining a clear timeline for the publication of the Farrell review into An Bord Pleanála, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian […]

The failure to resolve the housing crisis will have catastrophic consequences for entire generations of young people Ireland’s housing crisis is creating a poverty time bomb due to the soaring numbers of people who will be forced to continue to pay rent long after they retire, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy […]

There are nearly 16 empty homes for every homeless person in the country The Government must urgently respond to the huge rise in homelessness over the past year, according to the Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “There are now 10,325 people living in emergency accommodation, including 3,028 children. This is a 29% increase on […]

Ending homelessness should be a political priority, but it has fallen off the government’s agenda The government must urgently respond to the huge rise in homelessness over the past year, according to the Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The number of people who are homeless has increased by a staggering 24pc over the last […]

95pc of Irish householders are living in homes that have not been tested for radon Mandatory testing for radon must be introduced whenever homes are being sold or rented, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “Exposure to radon gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer and is responsible for approximately 300 lung […]