Two state-owned banks have ownership of over 1,000 empty homes in Ireland, according to Sinn Féin.

The party's Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD revealed Permanent TSB has 441 homes and AIB has 569 homes.

Mr Doherty said the situation is "unacceptable" and called on the banks to hand them over to the State.

He said: "It is a scandal that AIB and Permanent TSB, banks owned by the people, have over 1,000 vacant homes sitting empty at a time of an out of control homelessness crisis and a housing market starved of supply.

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"It is perverse that banks that cost the people so much, contributing to the economic crisis are in the first place evicting the victims of that crisis and now sitting on empty homes when thousands are homeless.

"It is in the power of the Minister to tell the banks to hand over these houses for the purpose of housing the homeless. That is what should happen. Any talk of relationship frameworks come a very distant second."

(CD/LM)