Cian O'Callaghan TD

The Minister has failed to address his clear and unambiguous statement to the Dáil

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has responded with a statement that can only be described as gibberish to the charge that he misled the Dáil when he falsely claimed the Central Bank had approved his shared equity scheme, according to Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan.

“This is quite simple. The Minister, on the floor of the Dáil, told me that the “shared equity scheme has been passed by the Central Bank, has received approval”. He couldn’t have been clearer.

“The Central Bank has now confirmed that it has not approved this scheme – which comprises a major plank of the government’s Housing For All strategy.

“The Minister released a statement today which can only be described as gibberish. In it the Minster states that when he referred to approval for a shared equity “arrangement”, he was “referring to the aspect of the scheme whereby, informed by engagement with the CBI, the scheme is being designed as an equity product rather than being a debt on the purchaser”. The statement than refers to a contemporaneous clarification having been made in an interview.

“The Minister has failed to address his clear and unambiguous statement to the Dáil that his shared equity scheme had received approval from the Central Bank when it has not.

“The Minister must now make a statement on this matter in the Dáil which addresses this hugely serious issue. We cannot have a situation whereby ministers give manifestly false information when responding to questions in the Dáil.”

15 September, 2021

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