Sinn Féin housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has stated that the Government's "actions and inactions" are increasing house prices.

Mr Ó Broin made the comments as the CSO reported house prices increasing by 8.2 per cent in the last year and the Department of Housing reported the delivery of just 32 affordable homes in Q1 of this year.

In a statement, Teachta Ó Broin said: "The latest CSO Residential Property Price Index has reported that house prices continue to surge upwards, by 8.2% in the year to May. Meanwhile the Department of Housing have reported the delivery of just 32 affordable homes in the first quarter of this year. What these two reports show is that Government actions and inactions are driving up house prices.

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"An ever-growing number of people, including workers in well paid jobs, cannot afford to buy a home. Meanwhile Government’s affordable housing targets are too low, they are not being met and the small number of homes they are delivering are not affordable for the majority of working people.

"The longer Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in Government the worse the housing crisis will get. Only a Sinn Féin led Government with our ambitious affordable housing plan can start to undo the damage of decades of bad Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael housing policy."