Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the context of Deputy Micheál Martin's proposal, Fianna Fáil knew the detail of the so-called rent predictability proposals before they were launched. Fianna Fáil also knew that the amendments by the Minister were going to be tabled and that we would get them this week. We knew this for weeks, yet at no stage did I hear any objection from Deputy Cowen, the party's housing spokesperson, or, indeed, from Deputy Micheál Martin. In fact, Deputy Cowen was not even at the meeting of the Select Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when the amendments were presented by the Minister, Deputy Coveney.

Those in Fianna Fáil say they want to be constructive but I just do not think that is true. What we have seen is, in my view, a very bad proposal that is going to hurt renters being published by the Government this week. Fianna Fáil, which, up until the point that the proposals were published, was going to go along with this, recoiled when it saw negative reaction from the media and tenants-----

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