Labour has hit out at Sinn Féin over its housing policy.

It is understood Sinn Féin plans to protest outside the office of Galway West TD Derek Nolan today, 15 May. Mr Nolan has claimed Sinn Féin's housing policy is "wafer thin".

Mr Nolan said: "In their pre-budget submission, Sinn Fein allocated €1 billion to social housing. Compare this to the €3.8 billion announced by Alan Kelly last November.

"Just last month, the Government allocated €58 million towards providing social housing in Galway. Nationally, we have allocated a staggering €2.8 billion more to housing than Sinn Féin would have, had they been in Government.

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"Furthermore, they did not allocate any increase in homeless services in their pre-budget submission. We increased it by 20%. They did not have any proposals for the refurbishment of vacant social housing units nor did they have any specific reference of funding to improve housing conditions for disabled people.

"The situation in the North, where Sinn Féin is in Government, is even starker. While the Labour Party is delivered social housing in the South, Sinn Féin is slashing housing numbers in Northern Ireland.

"The Northern Ireland Department of Social Development has had its budget reduced from €790 million to €715 million meaning that the delivery target for new social homes has been cut from 2,000 to 1,500.

"Yet Sinn Féin continues to criticise a housing investment which is three times more than theirs, and has organised a protest on the issue outside my office in Galway. How does that make any sense? Can they not see the absolutely hypocrisy in their actions?"

(CD/JP)