Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

There is not one house in Dublin 15. The reason for that is because the council does not have any land, and also because NAMA has many houses in Dublin 15. It has 170 units in Hollywood Rath on 20.98 acres. As to the type of unit in question, they are mansions. No one in Dublin 15 who is on the housing list can afford them. We have a housing crisis but let NAMA, which is paid for by the taxpayer, build and sanction mansions. That is what is going on.

I refer to the crisis in the rental sector. A report published yesterday showed a 52% increase in the number of people renting in the past 18 months. A total of 700,000 people are renting today compared with only 455,000 in December 2013. The Taoiseach is presiding over a situation where no building is taking place and people are being forced into the private rented sector. A total of 10,000 a month are being forced to rent. That just shows the housing strategy is not working. Rents in Kildare, for example, have increased by 15.5% and they have increased by more than 10% in Dublin. I hope we are not boring the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly. The Labour Party argued in favour of keeping rent supplement low because otherwise it would result in an increase in rent, but rent is increasing anyway. The main effect of the Government’s policy is that almost everyone on rent supplement is being forced into paying illegal top-ups on their rent to landlords. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, Deputy Joan Burton, should be very concerned about that.

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