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In intense exchanges with the Dáil, the Fianna Fáil leader told Sinn Féin financial spokesperson Pearse Doherty that he had “nothing but a collection of soundbites and a few pages » in terms of housing policy.
“You haven’t worked hard and when it comes to young people in this country, just look at Sinn Féin’s policies, you have nothing for first-time buyers,” he said, before to add: “Your policies are anti-first-time buyers.
Mr Martin said Sinn Féin opposed the Help to Buy scheme which helped 42,000 first-time buyers buy their first home.
He also said the party was against First Home’s equity program which helped 2,500 people this year buy a home.
“If you wanted to, they wouldn’t have been able to benefit from this program,” he said.
He said Sinn Féin opposed the Land Development Agency and was a “serial opponent” when it came to new housing developments.
“It is time for Sinn Féin to present substance and not empty rhetoric,” he added.
Mr Doherty said the government’s response to his party’s criticism of its housing policy was “but, but Sinn Féin”.
He said the government claims the housing crisis is Sinn Féin’s fault, but Fine Gael has ruled the country for 12 years and Fianna Fáil has supported it for seven years.
“You can bury your head in the sand all you want, but there are almost 13,000 people in emergency accommodation,” the Sinn Féin deputy leader said.
“People have lost hope of being able to get on the property ladder because of your government’s policies which are driving up property prices,” he added.
Mr Doherty said rents, house prices and homelessness were all rising, but “one way or another it’s always Sinn Féin’s fault”.
He said Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien had failed to meet his social and affordable housing targets every year he had been in the department.
Mr Martin said Mr Doherty was “wrong” to say the targets had not been missed and the Sinn Féin TD said he was “very excited” about how he had achieved them.
The Tánaiste did not explain why it was wrong to suggest that the housing targets were not being met.
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