House prices across Ireland are continuing to rise according to the recent CSO property price index.

The September index revealed overall house price inflation sat at 11%, with figures for the Midlands and the West even worse at 14% and 17% respectively.

Commenting on the new figures, Sinn Féin representative Eoin Ó Broin TD said: "House prices are now 2.6% above their Celtic Tiger peak. Since 2013, prices have increased by a staggering 129%. In Dublin, since 2012, they have increased by 133%.

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"Needless to say, people's wages have not been rising at all or at levels dramatically lower than house prices. The result is that with interest rates rising, even more people will be locked out of home ownership.

"Part of the reason for this is that the government is simply not delivering enough affordable purchase homes. Last year, they delivered zero affordable purchase homes. 

"To date this year, they have delivered fewer than 500. Even if their target is met this year it is nowhere near enough.

"We need at least 4,000 genuinely affordable homes to be delivered by government every year. We also need government to change its policy with respect to private sector supply in order to bring house prices down.

"Instead Darragh O'Brien continues to throw fuel on the fire with controversial demand-side schemes like Help to Buy and Shared Equity Loans. 

"These schemes are making the housing crisis worse."