Sinn Féin has blamed Fianna Fail over the housing and homeless crisis in Ireland.

The party's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD hit out at Fianna Fail TD Micheál Martin for criticising the current government housing policy.

He said: "Micheál Martin is criticising the current government, that his party supports, for having an 'over reliance on the private sector without enough building of public housing'.

"Fianna Fáil claim their record on the delivery of social housing during its last 14 years in government was better. Unfortunately this document outlines the facts, which tell a different story.

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"During the party's last tenure in government they delivered on average 5,523 real social homes per year.

"During their term in office the number of households on local authority waiting lists jumped from 27,000 to 98,000. That’s an increase of 70,891 households, representing a jump of258%.

"This was coupled with an increase in the level of rent subsidy dependence over the same period from 36,000 to 113,000 that represent an increase of 76,818 households, an increase of 209%.

"In 1997 the annual cost of rent subsidies was €90m. By the end of 2011 it had increased to €620m. An increase of 588%.

"Fianna Fáil between 1998 and 2011 had more resources available to them that at any other time in the history of the state and they failed to adequately deliver real social housing.

"Our current housing and homeless crisis was created by Fianna Fáil and is being perpetuated by Fine Gael."

(CD/MH)