Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My understanding of what he is saying is that Louth County Council did not meet the formula that he had. The facts were that people could not pay the rent, that rent was unaffordable and unsustainable and there were 20 applicants for each house. Rents were shooting up and the evidence supports this. The formula missed the poorer families getting support. Those in County Louth were getting a higher payment than anywhere else. I am not against any place that was designated as a rent control zone, but greater supports were provided in County Louth for poorer families and that was not included in the formula. I think the formula is wrong. If there is a recognition that rents are sky high, unsustainable and unaffordable and yet we cannot get into the marketplace to protect tenants, the formula does not work. My constituents are very cross about this.