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26 November 2014

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Video – FG/Labour Government's new housing strategy 'an exercise in spin'

Dessie Ellis speaks to reporters at Leinster House

THE Government's announcement of a new strategy to deal with the housing crisis is 'nothing but an exercise in spin and will not provide sufficient housing to deal with the crisis,' Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis TD says.

Speaking to An Phoblacht at Leinster House, the Dublin North West TD said the housing budget for this year is €1billion less than it was in 2008:

"The Government want to massage the housing need statistics by designating Housing Assistant Payment recipients as appropriately housed," he said

"There are about 74,000 people currently on Rent Supplement nearly all of whom are on the housing waiting lists. The Government’s strategy is to take these people off the lists by changing the name of their scheme and pretending that’s appropriate housing. It is not."

Dessie Ellis said the announcement has been a missed opportunity to really tackle housing problems.

He also hit out at the return to Public Private Partnership's:

"This model utterly failed thousands of people during the boom period and left them in the some of the worst housing in the state."

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