Darragh O’Brien claims Sinn Féin is trying to 'politicise' refusal to publish homeless numbers early
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Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has defended the refusal to publish the monthly homelessness figures early, saying Sinn Féin is attempting to politicise the situation.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin accused Mr O’Brien of sitting on the upcoming figures, but also of not releasing a report on rough sleepers.
Speaking in Dun Laoghaire, Mr O’Brien said the figures have been published on the last Friday of the month since 2020, and that all parties requested certainty on the numbers.
“I don’t control those figures, nor should I,” Mr O’Brien said. “So it’s the same day, every single month, at the same time published independent of me. That’s exactly what will be done again this month.
“What Sinn Féin is endeavouring to do is to try and politicise this, to try to — in some, way shape or form — say that we’re holding the figures back.
“We’re absolutely not, we’ve been completely transparent in relation to it.”
Mr O’Brien said that he has not seen the figures as of yet, while posing the question if government ministers should be involved in the production of internal statistics.
“What drives me though is that it still remains the number one challenge that we have and that’s why the increase in the provision of social housing in particular is so important,” he added.
The outgoing Housing Minister said that to solve the homelessness crisis is to get as many people as possible out of emergency accommodation and into social housing. He said that between April and July, 700 families exited out of emergency accommodation.
Mr O’Brien said that the publication of the figures on Friday was “no secret”.
Speaking in Dublin city centre, Mr Ó Broin said that the level of homelessness is such that it would be “untenable” for Fianna Fáil to hold the housing portfolio.
Figures for September showed that there were 14,760 people within emergency accommodation, of which 4,561 were children. This is a record level of homelessness in the country, with it being a 1.9% increase on August’s figures.
In particular, Dublin Simon has highlighted that the increase in homelessness compared to 2020 — when the outgoing government was formed — is 41%.
Mr Ó Broin called on Mr O’Brien to publish both reports on homelessness “as early as possible”.
“Our understanding is that both reports indicate an increase both in the number of adults and children in emergency accommodation, but also a significant increase in the number of rough sleepers,” Mr Ó Broin said.
“I simply don’t think it’s tenable for the minister to bury the rough sleepers report until next week,” Mr Ó Broin said.
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