Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I commend both the Minister, Deputy alan Kelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, for the substantial, historic investment in social housing. It is the first time in the history of the State that such a substantial amount of money has been provided for the provision of social housing. I commend the speedy action taken in recent weeks, in bringing homelessness to the top of the agenda, not just in Dublin but also nationally. I know that the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, will convey to the Minister my point about a rent freeze. In the next two years we will walk into a situation where houses will be on stream. I do not believe in the broad brush characterisation of landlords, as there are good landlords. However, there is evidence that our difficulty with supply and demand of homes is being exploited. It is for us, as legislators, to protect tenants. There should be emergency legislation. I am advised that while a constitutional change might be required to introduce rent control, it would not be required to introduce a rent freeze. We should be at the front in doing this before the crisis worsens.

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