Laois and Offaly TD Brian Stanley has highlighted the need for more affordable homes in Laois in the Dáíl Eireann.
He said: “The CSO residential property prices for County Laois showed a jump of 12% in a 12-month period. Wage inflation has not jumped to meet this.”
He believes that this makes it hard for typical full time workers to afford their own home which leaves them with their only other options to rent or live at home.
In Laois there have only been 30 affordable homes in the county thus far.
According to Deputy Stanley, the Government fell short of their target full social homes last year by 11% and also missed their affordable purchase and cost rental targets by 60%.
He said: “Generations are locked out of affordable homes. That impacts the economy, people’s health and public services.”
According to Stanley, Sinn Féin is offering viable alternatives to the current scheme.
Their scheme proposes building homes on serviced State land which would reduce the initial price as development levies could be waived.
He said: “I cannot see anything wrong with it and constituents I speak to cannot see anything wrong with cannot see anything wrong with it.”
He said: “The Government’s housing policy is failing people who are caught in the trap.
“Sinn Féin’s housing policy would give people the opportunity to buy a home and, most important of all, it is designed to deliver for ordinary working families.”
After the hearing, Stanley claimed that the government has failed on housing and that a Sinn Féin government will fix the problem and will deliver a programme that ordinary workers deserve.
