The Government will need the support of several independent TDs to see off a motion of no confidence in the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy this evening.

The Social Democrats have moved the motion, warning that Minister Murphy has failed to get to grips with the housing crisis.

The pressure was turned up a notch last night after Louth TD Peter Fitzpatrick said he would be voting against the Government in the vote.

Social Democrat co-leader Róisín Shortall said Minister Murphy has a “dismal” record; however, it remains to be seen how the vote will go.

“Fianna Fáil has indicated that they are going to sit on the fence; that they are going to abstain on all of this,” she said.

“But there is no doubt that a lot of people have serious concerns. I think particularly after the recent by-elections where many politicians saw first-hand on the doorsteps the impact of the housing crisis on so many families around the country.

“People who just can’t get the money together to consider buying their own homes but of course the hard end of this is very much the 10,000 in homeless emergency accommodation – including 4,000 children – and there is no doubt we are storing up big problems for the future for many of those children.”

Meanwhile, the Communications Minister Richard Bruton said he is “absolutely confident” his Cabinet colleague will survive the vote.

“I think Eoghan Murphy is doing a great job and I think people forget that it was the housing disaster that brought this country to its knees,” he said.

“It was the toxic relationship between property and banking that destroyed this country and he has had to rebuild a housing model on the ashes of that disastrous scheme that was there before.”

Rise TD Paul Murphy accused the Government of spinning figures when it comes to the number of new social homes built.

“The government is seeking to manipulate the figures to cover up the lack of building of social housing which is rooted in their ideological opposition to public provision of housing,” he said.