News

This is a moment of truth for the Green Party in Government Plans for cost rental housing have been distorted by a Minister who can’t see beyond private interests, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Government is stretching the concept of cost rental to breaking point. A progressive vision for a new […]

Fundamentally, this government cannot be trusted The government’s u-turn on cuckoo funds is brazen and downright dishonest, according to Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. “We are in the midst of a housing crisis that is causing untold misery all over this country. The Taoiseach has acknowledged this. He said housing is the “number 1 crisis […]

Affordability must be linked to income and ability to pay The absence of a definition of affordability is a major gap in the Affordable Housing Bill, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “It is remarkable that the Government’s Affordable Housing Bill has come to the Dáil this week without even a basic definition […]

People struggling to secure an affordable home deserve better than this half-baked Bill Serious questions must be asked about why the Government is ramming the Affordable Housing Bill through the Dáil this week, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Affordable Housing Bill is being rammed through the Dáil at breakneck speed. You […]

Renters are in total despair about their living situation Nearly 45pc of households in Dublin Bay South are in private rental accommodation – and have been utterly abandoned by successive governments, according to Social Democrats by-election candidate Sarah Durcan. Ms Durcan was commenting as she launched the Social Democrats’ Renters’ Charter, outlining reforms that are […]

Linking rents to inflation is a policy for another era The Government plan to link rent increases to the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices will see rents continue to rise by about 2pc per year, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “The Government’s plan to link rent increases to inflation is coming […]

Government housing policy prioritises the interests of private developers and private profit The Department of Housing has confirmed it is undertaking a review of its long-term leasing policy and targets, according to Social Democrats Councillor Aidan Farrelly. In January, on foot of a motion from Cllr Farrelly, Kildare County Council wrote to Housing Minister Darragh […]

Ordinary buyers cannot compete with investors who have millions or even billions to spend The asking price of a four-bed semi in Rathmines increasing by nearly 80pc in a week suggests sky-high rents are now distorting the entire housing market, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “This house in Rathmines – which will […]

Their first instinct was to make life more difficult for home buyers – rather than check their obligations under GDPR Estate agents who sought their customers personal data, in breach of their GDPR obligations, should apologise to their customers, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. Deputy O’Callaghan was responding after the Data Protection […]

Leo Varadkar’s pledge to construct 40,000 homes per year not credible The State’s over-reliance on the private market to solve the housing crisis means nearly one-third of new homes are now bought by institutions, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan. “According to the Social Justice Ireland, the proportion of newly built homes bought […]