Greens: Taoiseach blaming Brussels and bats to mask housing failures

The Green Party has today slammed the Taoiseach for using environmental regulations as a scapegoat for his housing failures, saying that Brussels and bats are not the bogeymen blocking homes being built.

The Party reiterated its call for the Government to finally publish its repeatedly delayed new housing plan for detailed scrutiny by the Opposition.

Cllr. Oliver Moran, Spokesperson for Housing, said: 

"We are seeing a clear pattern of deflection on delivery emerge from Government Buildings in recent weeks, with environment and climate regulations the latest of the Taoiseach's whipping boys.

"It's a return to old-school Fianna Fáil disdain for planning and planning rules. The latest is after his disavowing of climate goals where these gets in the way, or are too 'divisive' as he puts it. Next, it will be snails, bats and otters to blame for his misfortune in housing.

"We have more than enough land zoned, we have more than enough projects with planning permission. The Taoiseach is only adding to confusion and uncertainty by kite-flying that if developers hold off for longer, he'll drop environmental and housing standards to suit a race to the bottom."

Cllr. Oisín O'Connor, Spokesperson for Planning and Local Government, said:

"The Taoiseach is trying to blame bats, birds and badgers for his own failure to address the housing crisis, lashing out at EU environmental rules. How are other EU countries doing far better than us on protecting nature and also doing better than us on housing delivery?

"Micheál Martin has been at the Cabinet table for 20 of the last 28 years, with Fianna Fáil the largest party in this coalition Government. He has to take responsibility for his own legacy of failures on housing, including his central role in making over 5,000 children homeless.

If he can take time out from plámásing billionaires on deregulation crusades, the Taoiseach needs to tell us how he will get shovels in the ground on the tens of thousands of homes that already have planning permission and the tens of thousands of vacant buildings that need to be refurbished."