Taoiseach hits back at Cork TD's housing criticism, saying councils leave houses ‘empty for too long'
The figures, obtained by Cork North-Central TD Thomas Gould, indicate that almost 3,000 council houses across the state are currently idle, with almost 800 vacant for over a year.
Dublin City Council has the highest number of vacant houses in the state, with 362 currently idle, 177 for over six months. Figures also show that 17 local authority houses in Limerick have been left vacant for over five years.
Figures were not available for Kerry or Offaly.
But in Micheál Martin's home city of Cork, 345 council homes are currently being left vacant across the city, with half of those empty for over 12 months.
'Families in Cork are crying out for homes while perfectly good homes have been left to rot,' commented Sinn Féin TD Gould on the figures. 'Cork City and County Councils should be funded to do their job. Instead, red tape and bureaucracy, coupled with underfunding, leave homes empty for years.'
'These empty homes are a constant reminder of the failures of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. If they cared about our communities, about families and about children growing up in hotels, these homes would not be empty for years on end. They should be moving heaven and earth to ensure families are making memories in these four walls.'
The Taoiseach struck back, accusing local authorities of playing the blame game with central government, and says that councils have adequate funding, having most recently been allocated €150 million in January 2023 to combat vacancy and dereliction under the 'Vacant Homes Action Plan', part of the 'Housing for All' strategy launched originally in 2021.
'Four years ago, we gave huge funding to local authorities to get rid of voids once and for all,' said the Taoiseach, speaking in Cork last Friday. 'Local councils are leaving houses empty for too long.
'If someone leaves a tenancy, I do not understand why they have to wait for months. If it's good enough for someone to live in a month ago, it should certainly be good enough for someone to live in, in a month or six weeks later.
'Councils can't keep on blaming Central Government all of the time. A lot of this is within their competence and within their control. Certainly, in a lot of cases, it's dragging on too long.
'Houses should be occupied very quickly.'
Deputy Gould said: 'I am sick and tired of the government's excuses and broken promises. They try to blame everyone but themselves. The reality is that this is an issue in all local authorities and in far too many communities because of their failings.
"They do not provide enough funding to maintain homes, and they do not provide enough funding to return them to use.'
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