Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has slightly amended a statement he made to the Dáil regarding people accessing emergency accommodation, in a move he characterised as an attempt to contain “an outburst” from Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty.
It followed a heated exchange between the two politicians on Wednesday over the provision of permanent housing for people in emergency accommodation.
The Taoiseach had said there are many instances of people accessing homeless accommodation who have refused offers of permanent housing, often for “good reasons”.
On Tuesday, Mr Varadkar told the Dáil: “There have been plenty of cases in my constituency where people who have been in emergency accommodation for two years or three years have turned down multiple offers of accommodation.”
In the same exchange on housing, he later said: “It is not the case that all those 12,000 people [in emergency accommodation] have not been offered permanent accommodation; very many have.”
During Leaders’ Questions on Wednesday, Mr Doherty asserted that the Taoiseach had said: “Very many people in emergency accommodation have refused offers of permanent housing.”
He said these comments were an attempt by the Taoiseach to “shift blame” away from the Government’s housing policies.
Mr Doherty said the remarks would cause “real hurt and anger for those who are caught up in the housing crisis”.
“Not only is that remark untrue, it seeks to shift the blame for your failed housing policies away from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and place it on the victims of this crisis.”
Mr Doherty raised examples of retail staff living in emergency accommodation despite working “every hour that God sends them” and a nurse sleeping in a car with two children.
“The housing crisis has dominated life in Ireland for over a decade now and so many people struggle to put a secure, affordable roof over their heads.
“This social catastrophe is ruining the potential and the aspirations of an entire generation.
“Workers, families, our young people, who could never have imagined they would end up without a home, are living this nightmare through no fault of their own.”
Mr Varadkar said he had been misquoted and misrepresented by Mr Doherty and that he had never sought to blame anyone for the housing crisis or homelessness.
“We’re experiencing a very deep housing crisis in this State, and we have done now for quite some time.
“It affects lots of people in lots of different ways.”
The Taoiseach said Mr Doherty wanted to blame everything on the Government.
“That is far too simplistic.
“There are a large number of countries, unfortunately, facing a housing crisis at the moment, including in Northern Ireland.
“It happens for many different reasons.”
He said it happened in the Republic due to smaller house sizes, a growing population, and a prolonged period where almost no new homes were built following the financial crash.
Mr Varadkar reiterated his statement that there are cases of people on the housing list who have refused permanent accommodation multiple times.
“It is a simple fact that there are people on the housing list who have refused offers of accommodation and, in some cases, multiple offers of accommodation.”
The exchanges between Mr Varadkar and the Sinn Féin finance spokesperson featured interjections from both sides of the house.
Mr Doherty, who also interrupted the Taoiseach’s response, asked him to apologise for the remarks.
Mr Varadkar did not apologise but said he would amend his comment regarding the amount of people in emergency accommodation refusing permanent housing from “plenty” to “some”.
“If it would and if it would help to contain the deputy [Mr O'Doherty] and his outburst, I am happy to rephrase the term ‘plenty’ to some’.”
