'Government to blame for grim rental figures'

Sinn Féin TD for Mayo, Rose Conway-Walsh has described the Daft.ie figures for rental availability in Mayo as ‘the grim result of government policy.’ Teachta Conway-Walsh said;

“The Daft.ie report that there are only 30 rental properties available across the county of Mayo must put the fear of god into anyone who is renting or looking for a home.

“Just this week in the Dáil I raised this issue with the Taoiseach. I told him that it was a disgrace that here in the county of Michael Davitt, the founder of the Land League in 1879, so many families are petrified of not having a home to call their own.

“The housing crisis is a result of the policies of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael government.

“They could have implemented a no-fault eviction ban but they chose not to.

“Instead they tried to hoodwink people by telling them again and again that there would be 40,000 homes built last year. The statistics paint a very different picture. They confirm a total of just 30,330 were built, a decrease of 6.7 per cent on 2023.

“Now, we have an increasing number of older people worried sick about being made homeless. Too many people with disabilities are living in precarious conditions. This week, I spoke to a disabled woman who was trying to work out how she could cut back on groceries just to able to afford her exorbitant rent.

“How can this be acceptable in one of the richest countries in the world?

“It should not be acceptable to the Taoiseach. He should declare a housing emergency and use every lever available to him to address this crisis.

“The planning department in Mayo County Council must also work with people who wish to build on their own land. We are in an emergency. All possible barriers must be removed.”