Fianna Fáil has hit out at the government over its failure to outline clear guidelines of eligibility for affordable housing.

The party's General Election Candidate in Dublin North West, Cllr Paul McAuliffe, has urged Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy to address the issue in order to determine the level of affordable housing demand in Ireland.

Mr McAuliffe said: "The Government is failing the country entirely on the issue of affordable housing. There are a staggering 9,891 people registered as homeless in Ireland, and an eye watering 130,000 languishing on public housing waiting lists but there is an entire cohort of citizens that the Minister hasn't even bothered to quantify.

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"Those who earn more than the €42,000 joint income limit but who will never afford to own their own home.

"While the Government is taking minor steps to address the shortage of social housing and to increase the supply of short term HAP properties; there has been no effort to support young working families in search of an affordable home.

"For the past three years, I and my party colleagues have been consistently calling for the introduction of a much needed Affordable Housing Scheme or at very least, increase the income limits for public housing."

He continued: "It's time the Minister set about quantifying the true scale of

the crisis in affordable housing and the lack of affordable renting. By setting

out guidelines on affordable housing eligibility, especially for those who not qualify for public housing, we could get some grasp of the scale of this crisis.

"The frustration is deepening among those in desperate search for an affordable home to purchase or rent. It's especially demoralising when there are less and less on the market each passing week. These people have been forced back into their parents, to live with a sibling or share a home belonged to loved ones.

"In an Ireland for all, we need housing for all and that includes those earning but who will never be able to afford a house on the open market."

(CM/MH)