Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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I have the correspondence here. It is clear who the correspondence is from, but I will not name any names at the committee today. I recently met the woman, along with Deputy Coppinger. She is a young woman who is working. The idea of having a place on her own was a real difficulty because of the high cost of rent. She had been sharing accommodation with a friend. There is a direct connection between the housing crisis being experienced by this country under the Government.

The friend decided to leave the accommodation for her own reasons as she was moving on with her life, and so the woman in question was facing the threat of homelessness. Once again, the housing crisis we are experiencing under this Minister and Government was a factor here. The landlord then found himself in a position of power over this young woman and some of the texts containing these suggestions were sent only a matter of days before she had to leave the premises. Three offers were made to this woman by the landlord, who she estimates to be in his mid-60s. One offer was to solve her problem by going to live with him. Another option was to go for dinner with him, see what happens and continue to pay rent at the same rate, which would be half the rent on the property. He also suggested that if things went the right way, the rent could be free. It is estimated that there are 250,000 cases of this type in Britain and I think there must be many cases in this country too. This could be a #MeToo moment for the housing crisis and while I have asked questions of the Minister on this, I also appeal to people generally and encourage them to speak out about this issue. I would be stunned if this was the only case. I know it is not the only case. Now is the time for people who have had this horrible experience to speak out in order that we can lift the lid on one of the uglier and murkier aspects of the housing crisis under this Government. I would appreciate it if the Minister could answer those questions.