Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone who has done so for coming in and for the work that they do in general. I share the concerns about HAP and how it effects people on lower incomes. Laoise Neylon wrote an excellent article in the Dublin Inquirer on 11 November where she went through some of the personal stories of people in this situation who were in fear of becoming homeless, who had other HAP tenancies that might have ended but, by putting their own social welfare payments in, they were able to avoid being homeless. However, as the rent increases came in each year, the tiny amount of income they had left evaporated and they were left in a situation where they could not pay for the bare necessities having already made tough sacrifices. I recommend to anyone who has not done so already to read the article because it gives a good human side to what we are hearing today about numbers.

I have one question on the complete review of HAP, which is what we seek and I support. Deputy Ó Broin spoke of where increases in HAP ultimately lead to further increases in rent. How can HAP be redesigned to militate against that kind of trap where tenants are left with insufficient payment and income? What can be done to redesign HAP or the sector more generally?