Sinn Féin has blamed Fianna Fáil for creating the housing crisis in Ireland.

Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD accused the party of failing to regulate the private rented sector.

He made the comments following Fianna Fáil's reaction to the housing plans in Budget 2017.

He said: "On budget day their housing spokesperson Barry Cowen criticised Budget 2017 for failing to offer any relief for private renters or any measures to tackle excessive rents. Yet the very next day Fianna Fail senators sided with their Fine Gael colleagues to oppose Sinn Féin Rent Certainty Bill. This Bill, which would save renting families up to €2000 per year, was defeated by the Fine Gael Fianna Fail coalition in the Dáil in June.

-- Advertisement --

"Deputy Cowen and his colleague Darragh O'Brien have been very vocal in their criticism of the lack of real investment in tackling the housing crisis in budget 2017. Yet their own pre budget submission contained a mere 101 words on housing and homelessness and offered no actual proposal and no costings. Deputy Cowen appears to have been as ineffective in his party's pre-budget negotiations with Fine Gael as he was in the Dáil Housing and Homeless Committee

"Having caused so much damage to so many people they cannot be trusted on this or indeed any other issue."

(CD)