Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The shortage of local authority housing means that many people are almost exclusively dependent on the rental sector. Market rents are significantly higher than the rent caps prescribed by the Department, which means tenants are obliged to pay top-ups to landlords. At yesterday's meeting of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, representatives of Focus Ireland and Simon Communities of Ireland indicated that the Department is well aware that topping up is happening on a widespread basis and is in denial regarding the position in which people are finding themselves. Will the Minister comment on this practice of topping up?

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