MEMBERS OF THE Opposition and a housing charity have pulled up the Government after its senior ministers never mentioned homelessness in their Budget speeches today.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers published the state’s finances today, outlining the spending that sectors will receive over the next year.

But their failure to mention homelessness saw them rounded on by TDs from Sinn Féin and Labour.

Housing and homeless charities have also criticised the Government’s Budget plan, with one noting that the critical Housing for All’ programme would not be delivered for several more weeks.

A record 16,353 people were in emergency accommodation last month according to the most recent figures released.

In response to the Government’s Budget announcement today, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Public Expenditure Mairead Farrell let fly, saying that homelessness is at “shocking levels”.

“There are 5,000 children in homelessness, and neither one of you mentioned homelessness in your speeches today. That is outrageous,” she told Donohoe and Chambers in the Dáil today.

Farrell said the homelessness crisis is “the result of having a weak, broken housing system that fails to meet the basic needs and fundamental human rights of our people”.

She added that the crisis “should not be seen as inevitable” and warned that the country had become “desensitised” to homelessness.

Similar points were made by Labour’s Public Expenditure spokesperson who also criticised the Government’s two senior money ministers for not mentioning homelessness.

“This budget contains little or nothing that would radically increase housing supply,” Nash said in the Dáil.

What was announced?

The Government’s measures measures introduced in relation to housing are geared towards increasing homebuilding by giving developers tax breaks and a new way of chasing owners of derelict properties.

Property developers will benefit from a reduction in the VAT rate on the sale of completed apartments to 9% from 13.5% as a way to boost building.

A new Derelict Property Tax will replace the 7% Derelict Site Levy. The tax ‘will not be lower’ than the existing levy and will be legislated for next year.

The €1,000 Rent Tax Credit is also set to stay at the same rate but is extended for three years to the end of 2028.

In total there will be €2.9 billion allocated to build or acquire new social homes.

What have homeless charities said?

Homeless charities have reacted to the Budget with disappointment, with The Wheel – an association of community organisations, charities and social enterprises – also expressing disappointment that homelessness was not mentioned by the ministers.

Depaul has said that short-term and emergency measures must be taken to prioritise families in temporary accommodation for the allocation of any new social housing.

In terms of long-term measures, it’s demanded a national five-year plan for the reduction of private emergency accommodation as the major source of temporary accommodation for families and children.

It said it keenly awaited the details of the ‘Housing for All’ programme which it noted also received no mention in today’s announcement.

Elsewhere, the Salvation Army said that there had been a lack of decisive action in successive years on homelessness.

“We see the Budget as a completely missed opportunity to finally turn a corner on this nightmare for so many people, particularly the thousands of children affected, and to help some of our most vulnerable in society,” the Christian charity said.