Irish Government wins motion of confidence after heated exchanges on housing

The Irish Government has won a motion of confidence after the Labour Party tabled a vote over housing policy and the ending of a temporary moratorium on no-fault evictions.

The coalition’s countermotion to reaffirm confidence in the Government was backed by 86 TDs, with 67 voting against. There were no abstentions.

In a separate vote on Wednesday evening, the Government defeated a Sinn Fein Bill which attempted to extend the eviction ban until the end of January 2024.

TDs voted by 81 to 67 to amend the Bill with a motion from Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien outlining a number of schemes and policies introduced to support renters and landlords during the housing crisis.

During the earlier debate on the confidence motion on Wednesday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar accused opposition TDs of “political theatre” and “performative anger”.

In his speech, Mr Varadkar said the housing crisis is “one of the greatest political challenges of our time”.

He said the Government had to lead with ideas that are “realistic and implementable”.

“Instead of honesty about the scale of the problem and what can be achieved given the constraints, we get quick fixes, simple solutions, populist rhetoric, politicians claiming to care more than others, even conspiracy theories about the causes of the crisis and the demonisation of those who are working every day to relieve it.

“It is political theatre. Performative anger. Performance art. And I think more and more people are starting to see through it.”

As an example, he said it was “disingenuous” to claim the Labour motion is about renters’ rights.

The Taoiseach said: “It is about competition – competition for attention – on the opposition benches.

“Four parties trying to outdo each other to come up with new, more dramatic language to describe the housing situation as though somehow that would actually help anyone.”

Mr Varadkar said the Labour Party has “no answers” and had “long lost confidence in itself”.

In response, Labour leader Ivana Bacik also accused Mr Varadkar of engaging in “political theatrics”.

“You spent more time lambasting Labour than you have setting out what you say Government has achieved on housing, and yet you’re accusing us in opposition of politicising housing,” she said.

She said Labour had tabled a motion of no confidence because the Government’s choice to lift the moratorium on no-fault evictions is “disastrous” and “catastrophic”.

Ms Bacik added: “This catastrophic failure in housing delivery lies at the fault of Government and it’s a failure of ideology.”

She called for the yearly delivery of 50,000 new builds and 50,000 refurbishments and retrofits.

In reply remarks, Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the opposition has abandoned “any effort to offer a comprehensive alternative”.

“In the place of an alternative, all we have from them are soundbites intended only to exploit the very real concerns of people on particular points while ignoring the overwhelming majority of issues and the actions taken by the Government to address it,” he said.

Mr Martin said the motion was called due to Labour “seeking attention”.

“It has adopted a strategy of trying to match others for angry rhetoric and empty promises. Just like other left parties, it remains so terrified of Sinn Fein’s troll army that it is increasingly incapable of presenting a distinct position from that party on any matter,” he added.

Mr Varadkar said parties seem to believe the housing crisis was “terribly mismanaged” – except for when they were in government.

“No wonder Sinn Fein is so happy – they get to be consistent and direct their ire at everyone,” Mr Varadkar said.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Fianna Fail and Fine Gael of making “disastrous decisions” on housing.

“On your watch, we have gone from housing crisis to housing emergency to housing disaster,” she said.

Mrs McDonald said the Government does not “serve the needs of the people”.

“For the last three years, joined by the Green Party, you’ve continued to sing from that same ruinous hymn sheet,” the Sinn Fein leader said.

“This Government came to office claiming that it would be the government to fix housing, and yet you have clung to the same failed policies and the calamitous results are plain to see,” she said.

Mrs McDonald said Ireland “needs change like never before”.

She added: “The sharpest edge of this scandal is seen in those sleeping in doorways and in the tents on the banks of the canals.

“These are heartbreaking sights that will become more frequent because of the failure to resource emergency accommodation.”

Mrs McDonald said a Sinn Fein government would “solve this housing crisis”.

Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin criticised the Minister for Housing for presiding “over a 40% increase in homelessness and a 56% increase in child homelessness”.

“Darragh O’Brien is the minister for homelessness, and shame on him.”

Minister O’Brien said the debate on the motion of confidence included “nothing new” and included “simple sloganeering and vitriol”.

He said people would “see through” the Labour plan for one million homes over a decade.

“You should not go down the road that your colleagues here in Sinn Fein have, because what Sinn Fein will do, time and time again – ably supported by the Social Democrats – is oppose every single measure that this Government takes,” he said.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said she expects there will be more votes of no confidence in the Government.

“Time is running out for this Government,” she said.

“The people it has failed on housing have had enough.”

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said the Government is “functioning and working”.

“No-one has a monopoly on the desire to house our people,” he said.

“Let’s not play politics with housing, let’s work on real solutions,” he added.

Neasa Hourigan, who was last week suspended from the Green Party for 15 months after voting against the Government in a Dail vote on extending the eviction ban, voted in support of the motion of confidence in the Government.