Housing chair hits back at claims she wants to force Dubliners out of city
The Chairperson of Dublin City Council’s housing committee has hit back against accusations of being “out of touch” and said she has been “completely misrepresented” regarding comments she made at a recent meeting.
Fianna Fail Councillor Deirdre Heney, who chairs the Housing and Social Inclusion SPC, spoke to Dublin Live about comments she made at the committee’s January meeting suggesting the council explore ways to “encourage people away from the city.” This comment saw significant pushback from Sinn Fein Cllr Daithi Doolan who issued a statement that described the suggestion as “totally unacceptable and deluded.”
At the meeting, which saw councillors briefed on the government’s plan to deliver 300,000 new housing units nationally by 2030, Cllr Heney questioned if there was any opportunity to encourage people away from the capital. She subsequently stressed that was not suggesting Dubliners be pushed out of the city, but that those wishing to move would be offered support.
She cited the “peace” and “tranquillity” of rural living while stressing this could help alleviate the “demands on limited services” in the city. “I know people who moved away from the city and they have a really good quality of life,” she said.
Cllr Doolan accused Cllr Heney of “attempting, and failing miserably” to distract from the fact that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael governments have for decades refused to fund Dublin City Council to build social and affordable housing. He said she should be working with her own party and Minister for Housing James Browne to solve the crisis, rather than suggesting people simply move away.
“It is also essential that the government - her government - reinstate the Tenant In Situ Scheme in full and reintroduce the no-fault eviction ban. These three steps would go a lot further to tackling the housing crisis than making ridiculous comments about encouraging residents to move out of Dublin.”
Cllr Doolan said that “Dubliners are already being forced out” of the city due to a lack of housing. “People can no longer afford to rent or buy in Dublin,” he said, stating the negative impact on communities and public services have been huge.
He spoke about the “teachers, doctors, gardai, and firefighters” who are struggling to live in Dublin. Cllr Doolan said that “only a radical change in the government’s housing policy can change this,” and this solution is not to move people out of Dublin, it’s to build more and provide for the people.
Cllr Heney’s comments also faced pushback from Right to Change Cllr Pat Dunne who explained at the meeting: “I see Dubliners, neighbours, family, people I know well, being forced out of the city because of high rents and unaffordability. So, we are forcing our people out of the city at the moment, chair,” he said.
Cllr Dunne agreed that the Tenant in Situ scheme should be reinstated and said it “shouldn’t have been interfered with” in the first place and was one of the few government initiatives that “should have been left alone.” This scheme, which has had its funding paused, allowed local authorities to purchase privately owned rented accommodation, and helped existing tenants who were at risk of homelessness.
However, Cllr Heney argued that she was merely opening the doors for broader debate around ways to address the housing crisis and viewing the issue from a national perspective. “It's been interpreted as me trying to get people out of the city to deal with the housing crisis and to take pressure off the city services. It's actually the complete opposite,” she said.
She explained that she was thinking of initiatives like the Rural Resettlement Scheme, a voluntary program that previously helped city dwellers relocate to rural communities. "I asked a question about a national policy and I'm being accused by Sinn Fein of trying to force Dubliners out of the city.”
Cllr Heney pointed out that, after government funding to the Rural Resettlement Scheme was cut in 2021, Sinn Fein actually campaigned for it to be reinstated and cited the importance of allowing remote workers to relocate to rural areas in the midst of the pandemic.
She stressed that while Dublin city’s infrastructure struggles to keep pace with population growth schemes such as this can assist with alleviating the housing crisis and provide new opportunities to those who are already considering moving out of the city. Those relocating in-turn will open up more housing stock for those trying to move into Dublin.
Another motivation behind Cllr Heney’s calls for the reinstatement of the Rural Resettlement Scheme is to address the fact that Americans account approximately 60% of property purchases in some Irish towns and villages. A 2025 survey from the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) revealed a sharp increase in the number of Americans buying up coastal properties across Ireland.
Cllr Heney explained that, as the Housing SPC was being briefed on the government’s national plan to deliver houses across the country, she felt it was appropriate to discuss the options available to those who were already considering relocating to rural areas.
This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme