The Fine Gael government has come under fire after backtracking on plans to cut through social housing red tape.

An agreement was reached in Budget 2019 to increase the discretionary cap for Local Authority spending on social housing from €2m to €6m. This would have allowed for councils to build up to 30 units without going through the four-step process that takes over a year to complete.

At the Oireachtas Housing Committee last week, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy revealed the cap would not be increased.

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Fianna Fáil representative Darragh O'Brien has slammed the Minister over the issue, identifying supply as the key to solving the housing crisis.

"Local Authorities need to be able to put bricks and mortar into the ground but are being caught up in red tape by the Department," he added.

"Instead of accelerating delivery, projects are being stuck in the bureaucratic mud rather than getting on site. It's another example of a Fine Gael government who have turned their back on this housing crisis. Including HAP tenants there are over 130,000 people on social housing waiting lists. A €6m cap would allow Local Authorities and small to medium size builders get a real start in cutting those numbers down."

(CM/MH)