Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Last week, the Government published a budget that includes tax cuts for landlords, an increase in the threshold for the rent a room scheme and the introduction of a first-time buyer's scheme that has been widely criticised for increasing prices and delivering no meaningful benefit for those at whom it is aimed. The Government managed to introduce those measures while doing nothing for those who rent their homes. New figures published yesterday suggest that the cost of renting a home in Ireland will rise by 25% in the next two years. That is a staggering figure. This projection will alarm hundreds of thousands of people who rent their homes and who have already faced enormous increases in the rents demanded of them. At this point, people deserve assurance from Government that it is aware of their predicament and envisages concrete actions to control rents.

My colleague, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, has published our party's Social and Affordable Housing Bill, which contains many measures that will be welcomed by Members on all sides of the House. It includes a proposal for a model of rent control to limit increases to changes in the consumer price index.

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