Internal emails have exposed that a contentious social media video, which Housing Minister James Browne insisted had no connection to his department, was actually co-scripted by an agency under his authority and received prior approval from senior housing officials before being released, reports Breaking News.
The Housing Minister sought to separate himself and his department from the ‘Moving in with Family’ video after it faced widespread online criticism last month and was labelled “tone deaf” by opposition figures, reports Breaking News.
He informed an Oireachtas committee that “young people” had created the video, and that his department “did not have any involvement in it”. Mr Browne stated he was unaware of the video prior to its appearance on his department’s social media accounts.
He proposed that one official in the housing department, described as “well-intentioned but maybe misconceived”, had encountered the video independently and chose on their own to share it via the department’s official channels.
However, internal correspondence reveals that the video’s script was developed jointly by SpunOut, a youth support group, and the Housing Agency, a statutory organisation operating under Mr Browne’s department.
The script was forwarded to the department for review as early as August 11th, and it was shared extensively among senior officials who provided feedback and input.
On October 6th, an official from the department’s homelessness section noted in an email that the press office along with the minister’s special adviser had been consulted regarding content for an information campaign that encompassed the video, reports Breaking News.
In its November monthly newsletter, the Housing Agency stated that it had been “tasked with designing an awareness and information campaign” by the department, and it specifically mentioned the ‘Moving in with Family’ video.
The video appeared on a content schedule distributed by the department’s communications team during November and December, detailing planned social media posts.
The press office, housing staff, and even the minister’s special adviser were directly requested to “share and support” the material following its release by the department.
The video, uploaded last month, employed the identical script that had been submitted to the department for approval on August 11th. In the clip, two young individuals provide guidance for those compelled to return to living with family amid the housing crisis.
They recommended that young people should “help out around the house” by taking on some “household chores”. They explained that this would ease the family’s burden while also helping the individual “feel more independent”.
The video drew heavy ridicule on social media, with Labour leader Ivana Bacik calling it “beyond satire” and asserting that it “would be comical if it wasn’t so serious”.
Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin branded it “tone deaf”, remarking that he initially believed it came from the satirical site Waterford Whispers upon first seeing it.
When questioned about the video last month, Mr Browne remarked that it was “young people and SpunOut who did it”, adding: “My department and I did not lead this. We did not have any involvement in it.”
He said: “An official in the Department of Housing, well-intentioned but maybe misconceived, saw what young people in SpunOut were doing and reposted it, reports Breaking News.
“The department had no role in the video but reposted it. Reposting the video was misconceived but there is an attempt to paint a picture… that somehow this was directed by me, the department, or whatever the case may be,” said the minister.
A spokesman for the Department of Housing stated that the video was produced and financed by the Housing Agency in collaboration with SpunOut as part of a broader information campaign.
“The content was created by young people based on feedback from young people and reflecting topics they had raised,” he added.
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