Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is correct that it is no secret that there is a crisis in housing. It is equally no secret that this is a Government-made crisis. It is also no secret that it took a considerable amount of time for the Government to catch up and recognise the scale of the crisis.

It is no surprise that the Minister has not answered my questions, so I will put them again. Will the action plan on housing contain a commitment to rent certainty and increases in rent supplement and housing assistance payments? The Committee on Housing and Homelessness has met. It is a cross-party committee and it received reams of submissions from experts across the board. I seek a commitment from the Minister today that rent certainty and increases in the rent supplement and housing assistance payments will be contained in the action plan. Should the committee in its final report recommend rent certainty, a link to the consumer price index and increases in those payments, will the Government honour the report, listen to the committee and ensure the recommendations are included in the action plan?

See this speech in context