The latest property prices published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) provide further damning evidence of failed housing policy by this and previous governments, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne.<\/p>\n
Deputy Hearne, who is the party\u2019s housing spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cProspective buyers are seeing the dream of homeownership evaporate before their eyes because of this government\u2019s completely inept handling of the housing crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to figures released by the CSO, the median price of buying a home last year rose by seven per cent. Nationally, the figure stood at \u20ac387,000, rising to a staggering \u20ac500,000 in Dublin.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrices are now 25 per cent above their highest level during the Celtic Tiger era, and 178 per cent more than their low point in 2013 after the financial crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow on earth are essential workers such as garda\u00ed, nurses, retail staff or teachers supposed to buy a home at these extortionate prices? And what does the future hold for our highly educated young people, trapped at home in their childhood bedrooms unable to start independent lives?<\/p>\n
\u201cThis government continues to rely on big developers and investment funds to deliver homes, which today\u2019s figures show have become completely unaffordable for those living in the real world.<\/p>\n
\u201cHousing must be seen as a human right \u2013 not just an asset to generate profits for the wealthy. Until there is a major sea change in government policy, people will continue to be locked out of homeownership or forced into homelessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are obvious solutions staring the government in the face \u2013 such as the Social Democrats\u2019 proposal for a State building company to deliver social and affordable homes, and our call for a savings scheme to fund public homebuilding.<\/p>\n
\u201cYet, inexplicably, the government refuses to listen to constructive ideas and continues to pursue failed housing policies of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
February 18, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The latest property prices published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) provide further damning evidence of failed housing policy by this and previous governments, according to Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne. Deputy Hearne, who is the party\u2019s housing spokesperson, said: \u201cProspective buyers are seeing the dream of homeownership evaporate before their eyes because of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,7,510],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing-crisis","category-press-release","category-rory-hearne"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n