SINN FÉIN’S housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has condemned ‘in the strongest possible terms’ a spate of racially-motivated attacks on council homes in Dublin.
The Dublin Mid-West TD was speaking after it was revealed that 24 council homes in Dublin have been attacked after being allocated to households headed by a person born outside the state.
The Irish Times reported on Saturday that Dublin City Council has begun recording the number of racially-motivated attacks on vacant houses after a rise in vandalism targeting council properties since late last year.
In a statement, Ó Broin said he sympathised with the council, adding that the shortage of housing stemmed from a lack of government funding.
“The recent spate of racist attacks on council homes in Dublin must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” he said.
“These homes were allocated to families in accordance with the rules agreed by Councillors in Dublin City Council’s scheme of lettings.
“There is no place for discrimination on grounds of nationality, race or religion in the allocation of Council homes or indeed any other public service.
“It also must be said that politicians, including Oireachtas members, standing outside vacant Council homes and criticising the Councils allocations are creating a context which, in the eyes of some, legitimises such attacks.
“So too are factually inaccurate comments by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste wrongly linking the relentless rise in homelessness with recent increases in inward migration.”
‘Deep frustration’
While condemning attacks on council properties, Ó Broin added that he sympathised with people who have spent years on council waiting lists.
“I fully understand the deep frustration by families and single people who can be waiting 10 years, in some cases up to 15 years, for a Council home. This is entirely unacceptable,” he said.
“The problem is not the Council’s social housing allocations policy.
“The problem is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are not giving our Local Authorities enough funding to build and buy the volume of social housing that people need.
“Government is also imposing too much bureaucracy and red tape on our Councils and AHBs slowing down the delivery of much needed social housing.
“No one should be waiting a decade or more for their Council home.
“The solution is for Government to dramatically increase the funding for and targets for the delivery of social and affordable homes and for the Department of Housing to get out of the way of our Councils and AHBs and let them get on with the business of building and buying social and affordable homes.”
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