Cllr. Éilis Ryan has called for the resignation of Dublin City Council chief Owen Keegan, saying:
“Astonishingly, Owen Keegan has been paid over a million euro of taxpayer’s money since his appointment in 2013. Today in 2019, the number of people homeless in Dublin is five times greater than it was in 2014 – it has grown from 911 in July 2014 to 4635 in November 2018.

“Shouldn’t an individual to whom the state has paid over a million euro be held accountable for his performance?”

The councillor continued: “Mr. Keegan talks about homelessness as if it is a problem which is outside of his control. But in reality, nobody in Dublin has more power and influence over housing and planning than Owen Keegan.

“He is deeply opposed to the proper provision of large-scale public housing, and has used his position throughout the past five years to prevent this from happening. This is an agenda which has totally undermined our ability to tackle the housing crisis, and he must be held to account.”

The city councillor concluded: “I am calling for the resignation of Owen Keegan. He has failed miserably to address the city’s housing crisis, and is now attempting to pass the blame onto homeless families themselves.

“This is the height of arrogance, and totally offensive to all those homeless families who he has failed in his time as CEO. He must go.”