Pearse Doherty claims Leo Varadkar ‘delusional’ if he thinks ‘housing in Derry similar to housing in Dublin’

He made the claims during a clash with the Fine Gael leader in the Dáil when Deputy Doherty attacked the government’s record on housing.

"As we now approach the end of 2022, house prices have never been as high in the history of the State. Rents have never been as high. Homelessness figures, which include 4,000 children, have never been as high in the history of the State.

"Thousands of people, who are contacting all of us, are locked out of homeownership. People cannot afford to get by,” said the Sinn Féin TD.

Deputy Varadkar hit back at Sinn Féin.

“Sinn Féin has been 20 years in office on and off in NI, with a Sinn Féin finance minister, a Sinn Féin housing minister and a Sinn Féin joint head of government to use its own terms,” he said.

The Tánaiste continued: “What is happening in NI? House prices are going up and rents are going up. To use Sinn Féin's own figures, 20,000 people are homeless.

"If we have failed, surely Sinn Féin has failed worse and for longer. What are Sinn Féin's criteria for failure? Does it apply one standard for us and another standard for itself?”

Deputy Doherty replied: “If the Tánaiste thinks housing in Derry is similar to housing in Dublin, then he is delusional.”

Mr. Varadkar’s comments came as the Ulster University’s latest Quarterly House Price Index showed the price of a house in Derry/Strabane had slumped by 3.6% to £141,985 in the third quarter of 2022 but that the average price of a house in the north had risen by 0.8% to £207,247.

The report showed a varied situation where ‘Causeway Coast and Glens Local Government District (LGD) witnessed the largest overall price increase (14.9%), with the Ards and Down (2.9%), Lisburn and Castlereagh (2.0%), Mid and East Antrim (3.5%) and Belfast (0.3%) all showing more modest or nominal increases’.

“In contrast, LGDs such as Antrim and Newtownabbey (5.0%), Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (7.6%), Derry City & Strabane (3.6%), Mid Ulster (3.6%) and, to a much larger degree, Fermanagh and Omagh (15.3%) and Newry Mourne and Down (13.3%) showed price declines,” the report stated.

7,700 vacant properties while 2,646 families await homes, ‘no reason’ homeless, mica-afflicted and refugees can’t be housed