Sinn Féin is urging the Department of Environment to invest in the refurbishment of properties after it was revealed over 3,000 social housing units are lying idle throughout Ireland.

Dublin North-West TD Deputy Dessie Ellis was responding to new figures which showed a larger number of social housing units were empty than the government plan to build in 2016.

He said: "The average cost of refurbishment of a social housing unit is €18,039 according to the Department of Environment. The average cost of building a new social housing unit is over €170,000. Refurbishment should be prioritised creating jobs and bringing homes back into us. Idle units can also be a breeding ground for anti-social behaviour and crime which only makes refurbishment and occupation more valuable as a strategy.

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"Some units may cost more than the cap of €30,000 to refurbish. While units which need less work should be prioritised for the fastest delivery of homes, a home which requires a few thousand more for refurbishment should not be off the table either. The idea that you would refuse to spend €40,000 to bring back into use a house which may cost more than double that to build elsewhere in a time of such need goes against all common sense."

(CD)