Opposition parties have rounded on the government’s budget plans, insisting an opportunity to fix the housing crisis has been squandered.
Labour’s Ged Nash said Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had created a country of “winners and losers”.
He said Ireland was “swimming in cash” but claimed Budget 2025 was a “budget for the status quo”.
“Record corporation tax receipts but record numbers of our citizens without a home,” he said.
“The highest number of people ever at work yet one in five of those workers subsist on wages below a minimum wage.
“Surpluses the envy of Europe but public services and creaking infrastructure that should shame us.
“An apparent economic miracle papering over the cracks of the daily, sadly now routine, indignities of crushing child poverty.”
Mr Nash claimed that a century after the island of Ireland was divided, the current government had succeeded in dividing the people of the Irish state.
“Socially and economically, winners versus losers,” he said.
The Labour TD said options were limited for previous governments following the financial crash.
“Now, for the first time in our history, after a decade of uninterrupted growth, money isn’t the problem,” he said.
“It’s a lack of imagination, a lack of vision that’s holding our country and its people back.”
He added: “Our country is at a crossroads, and this country needs a change of direction, and an election should be called now.”
Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said the government had missed an “open goal” to fix Ireland’s housing shortages.
“Never before has the opportunity for a government to fix our housing crisis been so great,” he told the Dáil.
“Never before has need been so great in terms of record rents, record house prices, record numbers of people living in homeless emergency accommodation, and record numbers of children living and growing up without a home.
“Never before has need been so great, never before have so many resources been available to tackle this, and has such an opportunity to tackle this been squandered.
“The government had an open goal here in terms of the housing crisis to take action – an open goal. Not only did they not get the ball into the net, it appears the government isn’t even on the pitch when it comes to fixing the housing crisis.”
Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said it was “absolutely stunning” that the budget had not delivered increased housebuilding targets.
He said that flew in the face of a Housing Commission report that pointed to significant deficits in housing stock in the state.
“Really this budget, with all those resources that you had at your disposal, has done nothing to address the housing catastrophe we face,” he told ministers.
“Frankly, even I’m shocked at your failure on housing.
“The government figures given out today in the budget are that incredibly, after the Housing Commission said we need to double our housing output – that means at least doubling the social and affordable housing output – have announced the same figures for social and affordable housing next year as this year, with no change on the Housing for All plan that has failed so disastrously.”
