DUP accuse Sinn Fein of hypocrisy over opposing housing tsar in Republic - but backing more expensive climate watchdog in NI

Party president Mary Lou McDonald said she opposed the appointment of a “housing tsar on a salary of almost half a million euros” – accusing the Dublin government of “trying to cover up the fact that their housing policy is failing”.

Sinn Fein recently backed the creation of a climate commissioner for Northern Ireland – expected to cost at least £1million per year – to scrutinise the Executive’s own targets on reaching net zero..

The role was created as part of Stormont’s climate change act – something that was backed by all of the Executive parties, including the DUP.

However, when the establishment of the office came before the Assembly, the DUP opposed it – with opposition led by the deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

She accused MLAs of “an act of million-pound madness” and said they been involved “a virtue signalling frenzy” rather than protecting public funds.

But First Minister Michelle O’Neill said it was a “dereliction of duty” by the DUP to vote against the regulations – calling it “very short-sighted”.

DUP deputy leader Michelle McIlveen MLA told the News Letter: “Sinn Fein are the masters of hypocrisy. Whilst Mary-Lou McDonald is deriding the Irish Government for allocating €500,000 for a Housing Tsar in the Republic, only a matter of a few weeks ago Sinn Fein MLAs in the Assembly committed £1m per year of taxpayers’ money be used to fund a Climate Change Tsar in Northern Ireland.

“It would appear that for Sinn Fein, fiscal irresponsibility is unacceptable in the Irish Republic, but very much party policy in Northern Ireland. With the demands on the public purse within our health service, our schools and on our infrastructure growing, Sinn Fein would be better adopting their Dail approach to the use of taxpayers’ money to decisions being taken in Stormont.

“Maybe then we wouldn’t be spending £1m on a Climate Change Commissioner that is not needed, or indeed £120,000 on replacing perfectly good signs in Grand Central Station.

“Value for money for taxpayers should apply on both sides of the border. Instead, what we see is Sinn Fein adapting its message depending on the jurisdiction and the audience. It is hypocritical, and reeks of political opportunism.”

The Climate Change Act was passed by MLAs in 2022 after the Green Party brought forward alternative legislation to departmental legislation proposed by former environment minister Edwin Poots.

Since its inception it has been beset by delays and there have been questions about whether Stormont could deliver the “ambitious” targets within it.

Stormont’s then agriculture minister Mr Poots was warned by the chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) in March 2022 about the risk of ambitious targets damaging the credibility of the plans.