Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry but it is rare to get a chance to ask the Taoiseach questions on such an important issue. Mr. David McWilliams who is not a card carrying member of any left wing or socialist party has said that the deposit rules were relaxed by the Central Bank in order for prices to rise which will coax builders who are sitting around waiting for such price rises into beginning to dig foundations. This is State sanctioned house price inflation.

One of the main reasons for people becoming homeless is the failure the Fine Gael Party, in particular, to do anything to tackle landlords and their control over tenants. Mr. David Erlich of the Ires Real Estate Investment Trust, REIT, told The Irish Times last week: "It's a great market, we've never seen rental increases like this in any jurisdiction that we're aware of". I hope the Government's private rental policy, to be announced next week, will introduce rent controls.

If the Taoiseach had to pick just one thing to do immediately it would be to remove the clause in the Residential Tenancies Act which allows landlords to evict tenants on the basis of selling the property. This is the key provision that is being used to make people homeless. Landlords simply have to state that they intend to sell the property, tenants take that at face value and they leave. The Taoiseach has done nothing to suggest that he will remove that clause.

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