Stephen Donnelly rules out subsidised housing for healthcare workers

Michael Bolton

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has ruled out the prospect of subsidised housing for healthcare workers struggling to secure or retain accommodation.

It follows calls from the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation for the Housing Minister to consider the idea - particularly for new builds.

The union is concerned the accommodation shortage could lead to further delays in the opening of the new National Children's Hospital - given the scarcity of housing in Dublin 8.

This hospital, which is set to open in 2024,and has cost over €1 billion, could face delays due to a lack of staff. Construction workers for the building of the hospital are also struggling to find accommodation.

However, Mr Donnelly says the solution to housing for nurses and doctors is the same as the solution for everyone else.

"There are no plans for that at this time. What the Government is focused on, is continuing to build new houses, affordable houses, social houses, owner-occupied houses, at record levels.

"The solution for housing for nursing is the same solution for housing for everybody else, which is we need more housing."

Sinn Féin is accusing the Government of having "its head in the sand" over the housing crisis, as the health spokesperson for the party David Cullinane said the affect of the housing crisis is being seen in the nursing sector.

"If you talk to any of the nurses that have travelled, and have now left Ireland to go to Australia and elsewhere to work in their health services, it's mainly because of the pressures in the Irish health service and the cost of living.

"Also, the inability of many of those same nurses to be able to afford to purchase their own homes in their own country, and that is a big problem."