Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien rejects claims that he is a “spoofer”

Rory Fleming

The Minister responded by saying “I would completely disagree with them… I work very hard at the job that I do”.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has refuted claims that he is a “spoofer”, in an interview with Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One.

Pressure has been ramping up on the Fianna Fáil politician over the previous number of months, as the nation’s housing crisis continues to spiral.

Last month saw the Minister contend with backlash from the government’s contentious lifting of the eviction ban, alongside this week’s news that homelessness figures reached record levels for the month of March.

The government have been heavily criticised for their decision to lift the eviction ban last month. (Credit: Rolling News)

Speaking on the show, Mr. O’Brien stated his continued “commitment to helping people” through the accommodation crisis.

Responding the accusation that he was a “spoofer”, the Minister for Housing was adamant in his dismissal of the claim, saying that he is an extremely hard worker who is trying to face up to the housing crisis.

“I would completely disagree with them (people accusing him of being a ‘spoofer’). I’m not. I work very hard at the job that I do. I think when I put forward facts, all of them stand up. there’s no point reporting on progress and what’s happening. There are many challenges in housing, it’s not something that will get fixed overnight”.

Minister O’Brien went on to add that he loves the job he does and is committed alongside his government colleagues to rectifying the current housing situation.

Large-scale protests such as this one last month have become commonplace as the public grows weary of the current housing crisis. (Credit: Rolling News)

“I love the job that I do, I’m committed to it. This government is committed to it… I believe in what I’m doing and what this government is doing”, stated Mr. O’Brien.

Discussing the recent deluge of criticism levelled at the feet of his Department, the Dublin Fingal TD remarked that he was willing to accept constructive criticism, but felt that much of the recent accusations had been political point scoring.

“I respect constructive criticism, but what I don’t respect is people trying to capitalise or use the housing crisis that we have for their own political gain and trying to tell people that there are simple solutions to complex issues”.

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