Sinn Féin has criticised the Government over its rural housing planning statement and the cost of living, saying both are failing to address the needs of young people and rural communities.

Conor D. McGuinness, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Rural Affairs, Community Development and the Gaeltacht, said the Government could not say how many additional homes would be delivered under its proposed draft rural housing planning statement. He spoke after questioning Minister of State John Cummins at the Oireachtas Housing Committee.

McGuinness said he agreed with the Minister that there needed to be a move from a restrictive approach to rural planning to one that facilitated people building homes. However, he said delivery had to be the test.

The TD said he asked what analysis the Department had carried out on the expected increase in housing delivery, and was told there was no projection, target or estimate. He said it was reasonable to expect the Department to have some projection of the impact.

McGuinness said the policy had been presented as a major intervention, but the Department could not say how many additional homes it expected to deliver, raising questions about its ambition. He said feedback from construction and planning professionals suggested the changes may only make a meaningful difference in a small number of cases.

Separately, Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil that the Government’s failure to tackle the affordability crisis was having real consequences. She cited an analysis by Bonkers.ie showing households would pay an extra €1,000 to cover announced price hikes in gas, electricity, health insurance, PRSI, mortgage repayments and streaming services.

McDonald also highlighted a National Youth Council of Ireland report revealing that seven in ten young people are considering leaving Ireland, with the biggest factor being the inability to live an affordable life. She said the Government continued to short-change young people.

McGuinness echoed these concerns, saying the findings were a damning indictment of the Government’s failure to make Ireland a place where young people could afford to build a future. He said jobs existed, but what was missing was the ability to build a decent life from the income those jobs provided.

Both TDs said the Government needed to change course on housing and the cost of living, particularly in rural and Gaeltacht communities where depopulation among younger people threatened the viability of communities.