Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The fundamental solution is to increase the supply, there is no question about that. However, I do not think the Government has a solution in terms of supply. The previous Government built less social housing than any Government in the history of the State and this Government is committed to a market-led solution. What we need is massive public building of social housing using the resources of NAMA and so on.

While we wait for these houses to come on stream, and it is questionable whether they ever will, we have a crisis right now because of the incredible price of rent. While the fact that people can access a top-up is an improvement on the previous situation, it is not ideal that people must make a case for themselves to an official, who then decides yes or no. People should have a right to rent supplement or whatever is needed in order that they can have access to a home.

Statistics were released recently which showed that in Dublin 24, for example, if a person on the minimum wage were to spend 30% of his or her income on rent, which is the recommended percentage, he or she would have to work 84 hours per week. The prices are completely out of control and people simply cannot access housing. Increasing the rent supplement limits now would make a real difference to people.

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