Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We favour applying the CPI to the whole country. According to the RTB, landlords frequently do not update figures. As such, its figures may not be reliable. The quarterly Daft.ie report contains good statistics and is based on small areas. For example, there are 17 areas in Kildare.

I agree with Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, in that this is the worst of all worlds. The idea behind enacting the legislation in this way was to avoid creating a vacuum in Dublin or Cork, but areas that have been under extreme pressure for years are in the worst of all worlds. The likes of the commuter belt area must be considered differently. Kildare, Meath and Wicklow combined have a larger population than Cork county and city or Dublin city, but they are being tacked on like a spare appendage because they do not contain cities. They have been under extreme pressure and we need to know the timeframes for them and other areas. By applying the legislation to specific areas instead of the whole country and not using the CPI, a domino effect will create a problem.

I am seeking clarity on whether the Minister's Department has been in contact with the Department of Social Protection regarding increases in rent assistance and housing assistance payments. There is evidence that people have been topping up. Often, there is a large difference between people's rents and what they are getting in HAP. It is being made up under the counter, so we are not getting a true picture.

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