Housing minister compares Eoin Ó Broin to 'snake oil salesman' on housing issues
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The housing minister has hit out at his Sinn Féin counterpart, saying that Eoin Ó Broin "comes around like a snake oil salesman".
In an interview with , Darragh O'Brien criticised the opposition's approach to housing, while saying that housing delivery "has turned a corner" in Ireland, adding that it's "not about being sexy, it's about delivering". He said that Sinn Féin is guilty of showing people "what they're voting against, not what they're voting for".
Mr O'Brien accepted, however, that the pace of delivery is not fast enough across the board.
"I think in fairness, it's not about being sexy. It's about delivering. And I think by any fair assessment, people will see progress. There's still frustration because people want to see that happen quicker, and I get that. But Eoin and others will come around like a snake oil salesman, like 'I've got a cure for all your ills here and it can be cured like that'.
"Most people know that's not the case. And particularly with the lack of any plans or alternatives that they have, people will park that for a minute, but we've got to continue to present progress.
"What I'm determined to do is to show people — whenever the next election is, in the locals and Europeans this year or the general election the year after that is — here's what you're voting for. What Sinn Féin just come forward with is — here's what you're voting against."
The minister said he believes that Sinn Féin is "losing credibility" on the housing argument and that there is a "lethargy" in the party's approach to the issue. "It's the same stuff without a plan," he said.
Mr O'Brien said he believes proposals like abolishing the Help To Buy scheme would mean that average workers would not be able to purchase homes and that there is "no alternative" coming from the opposition.
"I don't know what Sinn Féin's affordable housing plan looks like because they haven't published it," he said.
The pair have been long-running adversaries and Mr O'Brien last month wrote to Mr Ó Broin and his party's finance spokesman Pearse Doherty to say that it would be "superficial and irresponsible" for the opposition party to propose amendments to the legislation underpinning Budget 2024.
In the letter, seen by the , Mr O'Brien criticises Sinn Féin's alternative budget provisions on housing, which call for the scrapping of the Help To Buy scheme.
While Mr O'Brien is adamant that overall housing delivery is better, some 13,179 people were homeless at the end of October, hitting a new record level after an increase of 352 from September.
The number of people who accessed emergency accommodation in October included 9,188 adults and 3,991 children.
Mr O'Brien said this figure remains his "absolute priority".
He said that while more people exited homelessness in 2023 than since the Government was formed, there was still more presentations to homeless services, a situation he said was "complex".
Mr O'Brien added that the tenant-in-situ scheme, which allows councils to purchase homes being sold by landlords, would allow 2,500 families and renters to stay in their homes.