Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has written to the Ceann Comhairle over what she described as a baseless accusation by the Taoiseach in the Dáil, while speaking in Irish, that she was "telling lies".
Ms McDonald said she absolutely refutes Micheál Martin's accusation and has now formally asked the Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy to ensure he withdraws the remark.
Mr Martin accused Ms McDonald of "telling lies" during a sharp exchange on the housing crisis.
Ms Murphy requested Mr Martin withdraw the accusation of Ms McDonald being a liar after Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Finance Pearse Doherty intervened to alert the chair of what Mr Martin had said while speaking in Irish.
The Taoiseach replied that he never called the Sinn Féin leader a liar.
The row erupted over Ms McDonald's claim during Leaders' Questions that the Government was "singing from the same hymn sheet of institutional property funds" and "being led by the nose by lobbyists".
She referenced Rent Pressure Zones and claimed the Taoiseach was planning to "remove the only modest protection [for renters] and leave them at the mercy of greedy landlords".
In reply, Mr Martin claimed "normal service" had resumed with the opposition in which the "misrepresentation goes on and on".
He told the Dáil that the only people he had spoken to about reviewing housing policy were his own officials and their colleagues in the Department of Housing.
Quoting the Oireachtas lobbying register, Mr Martin listed off a series of developers and consulting groups who Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin had meetings with.
The Taoiseach said there has to be a balance struck between State funding of housing and private sector investment, but he added that the last government had brought in protection for renters and "that will continue".
'Radical reset'
Labour Spokesperson on Housing and Limerick City TD Conor Sheehan called for a "radical reset" of Ireland's response to the housing crisis, claiming existing Government policies seem "intent on making it worse and worse".
Speaking during the Labour motion on housing in the Dáil, Mr Sheehan said the focus must be on an "increase in supply of affordable homes" instead of what he said was an existing policy which will "turbocharge" house prices.
Mr Sheehan said he and his party want to see the Land Development Agency "given teeth" to build homes at reasonable prices, saying not doing so is "robbing a generation" of a basic right.
Pointing out that Minister for Housing James Browne was not in the Dáil chamber for the start of the debate, Mr Sheehan said: "I'm calling on the minister, well I would if he was here, to invite the EU housing commissioner here as soon as possible."
He added that he believes "the EU can play a role" in helping Ireland to address the housing situation.
Minister of State at the Department of Housing Christopher O'Sullivan apologised for Mr Browne's absence, explaining that the minister was at Cabinet.
The Fianna Fáil TD thanked Labour for their input into the housing debate, but said: "You were quite severe in terms of criticism of my party, and in terms of Government."
Mr O’Sullivan also said that Labour had been constructive so far, saying they all had the same ambition of ending homelessness, reducing rents and increasing affordable homes and housing in general.
"How we achieve this...is how we differ," Mr O'Sullivan said.
He said that councillors and Local Authorities were working on the matter.
He said Labour's aim to end the Help to Buy scheme was one such point of difference, citing the hundreds of couples in Cork South West who had benefited from it.
Mr O'Sullivan said that Housing for All had delivered almost 107,000 homes to the housing stock since 2021 through new builds, completion of unfinished housing developments and vacant properties being brought to use.
"Last year's dip in delivery is disappointing, but supply continues to grow in the longer term ... we are now on a firm upward trajectory," he added.
Mr O'Sullivan said 60,000 commencement notices were received in 2024...and said it was a matter of when, rather than if these would be delivered.
Housing 'an emergency crisis situation', says CIF
Housing is in "an emergency crisis situation at the moment", and Ireland must "attract back" international finance, the Director of Housing and Planning at the Construction Industry Federation has said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Conor O'Connell said it is "certainly good news" that the Government is looking at rental controls and other measures "to attract back international finance".
He said current rental controls are not working and need to be reformed.
Mr O'Connell said the State "simply cannot" build 50,000 housing units per annum.
"If we had more supply of the cost rental stock, if we had more supply of private market rental stock, it would all help with housing delivery and ensuring price stability for renters going forward," he said.
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Additional reporting Carla O'Brien, Paul Cunningham
