Opposition brand Budget 2021 'a negligent dereliction of duty'

Drilling down into the figures, Mr Ó Broin said extra capital spending amounts to just €160m to deliver only 993 extra homes, €124m to deliver an additional 593 social homes and €35m to deliver 400 cost rental homes.

Local authorities and approved housing bodies will be allocated €1.3bn to deliver 10,300 social homes, just 593 more than had been promised by former housing minister Eoghan Murphy under his Rebuilding Ireland targets for 2021.

'Behind the hype of the billions we see that so many people are once again let down, left out and short-changed.'@MaryLouMcDonald on how #Budget2021 failed so many people in our. society at a time when so many need support. pic.twitter.com/MxeoiVZWzr

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) October 14, 2020

"In October 2018, government announced a Serviced Sites Fund of €310m to be spent over three years to deliver 6,000 affordable homes," Mr Ó Broin said.

"To date, just €127m has been allocated but not a single home delivered. Just 50 are under construction. Yesterday, the minister announced that €50m from the original €310m would be made available next year. However, there are no targets for how many homes will be delivered through this fund in 2021."

Likewise, Independent TD Catherine Connolly challenged Taoiseach Micheál Martin on the issue, saying he had wasted "a golden opportunity".

"The vast majority of homelessness and the numbers on housing waiting lists are caused by Government policies," said Ms Connolly.

I could name people in Galway who have been waiting for more than 15 years and have never been offered a house. That deserves an inquiry in itself.

She said a "radical reappraisal" of how we deliver housing in this country is now needed.

Mr Martin says funding has been made available for councils.

"I am saying to local authorities throughout the country that the funding will be made available. We have changed regulations to allow them to work faster more effectively. They should go out and build social housing," he said.

Meanwhile, Labour has highlighted that those receiving fuel allowance will be down a net €49 this winter. Four extra weeks were paid in 2019/2020 season worth €98 and the budget increase of €3.50 a week will apply for only 14 weeks from January, worth €49 in 2020//2021 fuel season.

Social Protection spokesperson Seán Sherlock called on the government to provide another four weeks payment again to reverse the cut in the amount 375,000 people will receive this winter.

“In the budget, those much needed four extra weeks were not retained," he said.

"The payment will increase instead by €3.50 from January. That increase will only apply over 14 weeks for the 2020/2021 fuel season and is worth half what people received this year. That is, in effect, a cut.

"€50 less to spend to keep themselves warm.

🔥 Fuel allowance down €49 after #budget2021
🔸 4 extra wks were paid in 2019/20 season worth €98.
🔸Budget increase of €3.50/wk applies for 14 wks from January is worth €49.@seansherlocktd is calling on Govt to restore the 4 wks. Read more here⤵️https://t.co/NnEgQRlap7 pic.twitter.com/pas7cHeXKa

— The Labour Party (@labour) October 14, 2020

"The Carbon Tax increase on fuel comes into effect in May, so next winter people will be facing higher heating bills but without any real extra financial support from the fuel allowance payment."

There was also criticism of budget moves for the childcare sector.

“The privatised, under-resourced model which successive governments have created was never fit for purpose," Social Democrat Jennifer Whitmore said.

"For most families with children, it was the equivalent of another mortgage and a huge part of the unsustainable cost of living.

“The government badly failed in Budget 2021 to seize the opportunity to re-imagine our childcare system. This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity the government should have taken to rebuild a system that worked for children, for families, for employers and for the workers in the childcare system."