John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is unfortunate that the work which needs to be done - I acknowledge that it needs to be done - was not done earlier because many of these amendments could have been teased out on Committee Stage. I know that once the report was published, that was not possible. I know it was not possible because it was obvious that the market would react the moment the Minister published the report and its specific proposals. Such a situation could not continue indefinitely. Therefore, the Minister responded by tabling these amendments and that is why the House is sitting today. We have to deal with this. There has to be certainty in the market. Otherwise, other events will take place with unintended and unforeseen consequences. Most people understand that fact. While there will be disagreements on what to do, there is an understanding that, once the Minister indicated to the market that he was going to do something, it had to be done. Accepting that, it surely follows that this highlights the urgency of adding the other pressure zones. We all know them, whether it is from examining the housing assistance payment rates in the Dublin commuter areas or otherwise. If we acknowledge that we have signalled to the market that we will make an intervention, we cannot let that period drag on. If it is allowed to drag on, there will be unintended consequences in the marketplace. That is one of the reasons Deputy Cowen - who, I understand from Deputy O'Brien, will be in the House later - was so adamant that these other areas in which there have been significant increases are dealt with quickly. It is because the market will not sit idly by. People will respond in different ways. I want to be clear on that.

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