Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the housing crisis is affecting “all sectors” and not just nurses.
Proposals by the Minister for Health to make funding available for hospitals to build or buy homes for nurses and other key staff have been described as too little too late.
Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed on Friday that the HSE was looking to ‘hospital-linked’ accommodation for overseas healthcare staff and those who are having to travel long distances for work.
Mr Donnelly expressed an interest in finding “bespoke, locally based” accommodation for staff or building new homes for staff.
He said individual hospitals are already looking for various properties near their hospital, and “hospital-linked” accommodation could be included in the next Budget.
Despite that, Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has criticised the Government’s plan.
"To suggest that this is something the HSE can deal with has already been contested by the head of the HSE, who said it's outside of their area out expertise," she said.
“It is too little too late,” she said. “But I think it is also not good enough to suggest that this is something that is standalone [for healthcare workers].”
“The housing crisis, this housing disaster is affecting all sectors.”
“It's affecting the recruitment and retention of teachers, of Gardaí, so it’s across the public service,” she said.
Deputy Bacik said this is also affecting private businesses – “hospitality, retail, construction itself”.
Deputy Bacik previously told On the Record with Gavan Reilly Labour’s plan to build one million homes in Ireland over the next ten years – 50,000 new builds and 50,000 refurbished homes a year.
