THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS would use the proceeds from the recent Apple tax ruling first and foremost to build affordable housing, the party’s leader Holly Cairns has said. 

She described housing as “the elephant in the country” and said the party would be publishing its affordable housing plan “in the next number of weeks”. 

On the €14 billion of recently acquired Apple tax revenue, which the highest court in the EU recently ordered the company to pay to the State, Cairns said it was “amusing” to see the government parties now discussing how they would spend it. 

“I find it kind of amusing to see parties who spent eight years and 10 million fighting this case to try and get the money back now saying what they would like to spend the money on,” she said.

“But I think the elephant in the country is housing. We would invest that money in affordable purchase homes.

“We desperately need investment in the not-for-profit sector and to genuinely deliver affordable homes.”

The Social Democrats arrive at the Fitzwilliam Hotel in Dublin for their Think-in David Mac Redmond David Mac Redmond

Cairns also said “we need to see an end to the bulk purchasing of homes and favourable deals for investment funds” while also bringing vacant properties back into use through “a vacancy tax with teeth”. 

She also said an election “can’t come soon enough” and outlined the Social Democrats’ five major priorities for the next general election, a date for which has yet to be set. 

In addition to housing, those priorities include healthcare, climate policy, disability services and childcare. 

“Whether the election comes in November of in the new year is of “limited importance” Cairns said. “We want to go into government,” she said, adding that it has been “extremely frustrating” to see successive governments “miss opportunities”. 

“When we have a booming economy, record employment and a huge surplus, to see that along with 14,000 homeless people, including 4000 children, threadbare disability services, and actually an increase of 15% in child poverty in this government’s term alone, I think the prospect of being able to turn our policies and our ideas into a reality for our communities, feels within reach.” 

At the same time, she said,”We’re not going to promise the sun, moon, stars. I think people are sick of empty promises”. 

She said the Social Democrats would not promise large tax cuts alongside major investment in public services.

“We want investment in public services to try to lift people out of poverty.”