Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have had some of this discussion on Committee Stage. I completely agree with the Minister of State's comments regarding the housing assistance scheme and the move to a single-tier administrative function for local authorities. The rent caps were changed very recently, with increases in some areas, including my own. They remain, however, below market rents throughout the country and people are struggling to secure accommodation. I do not disagree with the Minister of State's approach, but I share some of the concerns expressed by Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett.

The Minister of State indicated that a business case will be undertaken in respect of the transferring of rent caps. The problem is that, if the money does not come across from the Department of Social Protection, it is inevitable that there will be a conflict between people in local authority housing and those in receipt of rent assistance through the local authority. There will be a mismatch in terms of the amount of funding available. How does one square that circle? People in local authority housing will be on a differential rent and that same differential rent model will apply to persons in the private rented sector, yet there will not be the kind of funding available to source accommodation in some parts of the country at the rent levels that the Department of Social Protection seems to believe can be sourced. This will inevitably place an additional burden on people through rent increases. Will the Minister of State comment on that?

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