There is a 330% rise in social housing waiting lists in Deublin, according to Fianna Fáil.

The party also hit out at the Govt for refusing to increase rent allowance for families at risk of losing their homes.

General Election candidate for Dublin Central Mary Fitzpatrick said the refusal comes at a time when the latest report from the Simon Community shows that 95% of properties available to rent are priced beyond the reach of people depending on state rent supports for their housing. I

Ms Fitzpatrick said: "Fine Gael and Labour have completely failed to take charge of the housing issue, and because of a lack of concrete measures, this problem has now turned into a national emergency. The problem spans across a number of sectors – home ownership, rental, social housing and emergency accommodation. The fact of the matter is that there is a serious lack of supply, as a direct result of Fine Gael’s lack of investment in the area.

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"Between 2007-2010, Fianna Fáil built 1,659 new social housing units in Dublin City local authority, at a time when there were 4,885 households on the social housing waiting list. In stark contrast, Fine Gael and Labour all but halted the social housing programme, building a mere 227 units in Dublin City between 2011 and the end of 2014. This has led to a surge of people on the social housing list with over 21,000 households now in need of social housing, or close to 50,000 individuals according to the most recent figures.

"There is now a dramatic shortage of supply, which in turn is forcing up rents in the private sector. This Government has spent the past year scrambling to come up with a plan, but their rehashed ideas are simply not delivering."

(CD/MH)