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

If 1,000, or 2.5%, of those were brought back into use, everyone in a hostel, hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation tonight could be housed. That would be a significant step to take. I urge the Minister to deal quickly and proactively with that issue.

I ask the Minister to indicate, in as much detail as possible, where and how the 4% was calculated. I also ask him to reflect on the point I made about the 4% increase affecting some people to the tune of 12.5% over a 25-month period. He might also reflect on those who are renting that have a lease that is already 18 months old. Their first increase will be one of 6%. We are dealing with this today because the market was going to respond once the Minister published the report. If it is responding in Dublin and Cork, it will respond in the commuter belt areas and in the other cities that have been identified. The Minister needs to deal with those just as quickly as we are dealing with these areas today.

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