A general election is required to solve Ireland's housing crisis, according to Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin.
He contended that the Government's Housing For All plan was failing, and Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien was making the problem even worse.
"Today is the first anniversary of Darragh O'Brien’s housing plan. He has been minister for over two years now. During his term in office the housing crisis continued to deteriorate," he said.
He said rents have increased by 15% and house prices by 20%, while a new rental in Dublin is now more than €2,000 per month.
Mr Ó Broin said that "an entire generation is locked out of home ownership" with young people forced to live with their parents due to the high cost of housing.
He also criticised the end of a ban on evictions, pointing to an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness.
"Shockingly child homelessness has jumped by 43%. How is it that in a wealthy country like Ireland, with tens of thousands of vacant properties, Government can't find homes for pensioners and children?" Mr Ó Broin added.
He called for the delivery of 20,000 public homes per year to meet housing need and a ban on rent increases.
"Only a change of Government and a radical change of housing policy can start to undo three decades of bad Fianna Fáil and Five Gael housing policy," he added.
Mr Ó Broin also said Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly should resign for the disaster in the health service, rather than for his failure to renew a rental home registration with the Residential Tenancies Board.
