Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, who is sitting next to the Minister of State, will remember a conversation we had on a number of occasions on direct negotiations between the Department and landlords. That proposal was turned down and it was indicated that it was up to the tenant. As the funder of 30% of the rental market, there is a greater onus on the Department. In Ballyfermot, which is my own area, and in general across Dublin, the rent for a three-bedroom house is €1,300 to €1,400 while the maximum rent allowable under the cap is €950. The rent supplement is less than that, given the personal proportionate contribution. I am not suggesting the Department should fully bridge that gap, but there must be a way to negotiate with landlords to reduce rents to a price that is realistic.

Has there been any discussion by the Department and the Minister with responsibility for housing in relation to rent control which would solve some of these problems? The figures I read earlier were from The Mirror, but the Simon Community and others have vindicated them since they were published. There must be a whole-of-Government approach to this issue.

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