Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has sharply criticised the government’s newly published housing plan, describing it as "nothing new… just a reheat and repackaging of past failures".

The Dublin Mid West TD's comments followed the release of the plan, which aims to address housing delivery and homelessness across Ireland.

Teachta Ó Broin said: "After months of delay, the government has finally published their housing plan. There is nothing new in the plan. It is just a reheat and repackaging of past failures.

"The plan continues to underestimate overall housing need by at least 20%, ignoring one of the key recommendations of the Housing Commission. There will be no increase in the existing social and affordable housing targets, targets that are too low to begin with and are not being met.

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"There are no new initiatives to prevent or end long term homelessness. Nor is there any clarity on how the government intends to meet their commitment to end long-term homelessness by 2030.

"There is nothing new for SME builder developers to deliver more good quality homes for people to buy. And there is no increased investment in Council planning departments, An Coimisiún Pleanála or the planning and environment court to speed up planning decisions, appeals and judicial reviews.

"The only promise the Government is keeping is its attack on renters. From next March tens of thousands of renters will face even higher rip off rents for the privilege of living in smaller and darker apartments.

"Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil's housing policy was written by and for big investors and developers to benefit their private interests. The needs of ordinary people, workers and families, have been once again ignored.

"For over a decade they have starved our Councils of the resources to deliver public housing on public land. All the while showering investor funds, corporate landlords, and big developers with subsidies and tax breaks like confetti.

"Of course it didn't have to be this way. Today could have been a day of hope for all those without a home of their own. The government could have adopted any number of alternatives from their own Housing Commission or Sinn Féin’s alternative housing plan.

"But, instead, they have chosen to keep with the status quo of rising house prices, rising rents and rising homelessness and a chronic undersupply of social, affordable and private for purchase homes."