Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was criticized for remarks he made at yesterday’s press conference, saying that “lots of people in emergency accommodation who had refused multiple offers of social housing”, reports RTE.
Speaking yesterday at the launch of the Housing for All update report, the Fine Gael leader was asked about suggestions from him and fellow launch attendees Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan that the Government’s housing policies are working.
“One of the measures [success is based on] is going to be homelessness, of course it is. But it would be just simply inaccurate to say that the Government has control over things like the number of family break downs that occur, the number of people who are new arrivals who seek emergency accommodation. I work with a lot of people who are in emergency accommodation in my constituency. There are lots of people who are in emergency accommodation and who refuse multiple offers to go on social housing,” the Taoiseach said, reports RTE.
Sinn Féin vice-president Piers Doherty told the Dáil today that the comments were “shameful” and “real hurt”.
He called on Mr. Varadkar to apologize for the remarks.
He added: “You shifted the blame to the shoulders of the victims,” reports RTE.
In response, Mr Varadkar said he would be happy to reinterpret the term “plenty” and offer accommodation to “some” people instead.
“There are people on the housing list who have turned down offers of accommodation and often for good reasons,” reports RTE.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said he had asked his regional teams to provide information on the Taoiseach’s claim that some homeless people had turned down many offers of social housing and that this would be included in the homelessness report in August or sooner. September
Labor Party leader Ivana Bacic said it was “appalling that in a country, running billions of budget surpluses every year, we are still seeing that level of homelessness,” reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Bakic said she was surprised by Minister O’Brien’s decision not to reinstate the winter eviction ban.
“That’s a surprise because he simply has not put in place any necessary safety net measures for those renters who are now facing eviction or indeed have been evicted since the lifting of the temporary no fault eviction ban in March of this year,” Ms Bacik said, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.