Rent supplement is another cut by ministerial order. Recipients will have to pay an additional €312 and in addition to that the rent limit looks set to be reduced, which will result in landlords demanding additional moneys from these tenants to make up the difference. Let us remember that rent supplement is paid to people who, by definition, are in need of accommodation and cannot afford to rent privately. They are among the 100,000 on social housing waiting lists with no prospect of being housed, such is the lack of investment in social housing. The waste of having tens of thousands of empty homes and idle apartments while thousands are homeless and the State is underwriting landlordism to the tune of €500 million each year via rent supplement is a scandal. This is a living disgrace and an insult to the memory of James Connolly who the Labour Party is supposed to revere. I have more to say but, because of the continuous disruption and bleating by the Minister, I will leave it to my colleagues to pick up on some of the other points. The truth hurts. The Minister is targeting the vulnerable. Shame on her.

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