Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Patients on hospital trolleys are a direct result of the Government's policies and so, too, is the homelessness crisis. Since the Labour Party conference in February, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, has been promising the introduction of rent certainty. He said then what we are looking at is a process whereby people have some certainty as regards rent into the future while housing supply is being dealt with. The Minister said this was his number one priority and he said "I'm committing here, that I am intent on entering the market to change this; it has to be done." Now the Taoiseach disagrees. He has said: "It is clear that interference in the market, to its detriment, is not something we should do. While people are calling for what they call clarity on rent certainty, if we interfere in the wrong way, we will make matters worse". It is little wonder that there is chaos in the Taoiseach's Cabinet. The Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, has referred to his Fine Gael colleagues as anonymous cowards because they briefed against the rent certainty proposal, but the chaos in the Cabinet is at nothing compared to the instability and the chaos inflicted by the Taoiseach on families who cannot afford to pay rents. Yesterday when I raised this issue the Taoiseach said the Minister for Finance and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government would this week conclude discussions on proposals to deal with the housing crisis. Could the Taoiseach confirm for the Dáil today, and for those citizens who are suffering directly as a result of his Government's policies, that the Government will introduce rent certainty? Will he tell us that today and, if not, will he tell us why not?

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