Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputy Darragh O'Brien on tabling the motion. I will focus on two points in the short time available. On the issue of affordable housing, Deputy O'Brien referred to the home loans provided under Rebuilding Ireland. The affordable loans scheme is a farce because no approvals are coming through. This new mechanism, which is intended to help people on lower incomes to secure housing by providing home loans, sounded good when it was first announced and in the subsequent press release. However, it is simply not working and anyone who argues otherwise is mistaken.

The Government is relying heavily on the private market to ensure people have a roof over their heads. In a small number of cases, landlords are experiencing severe difficulty when they use the machinery of the State to resolve disputes about the payment or non-payment of rent. The mechanisms in place are being blatantly disregarded, with some people failing to appear for arbitration. A holistic approach is needed to ensure everyone - landlords and tenants - is protected because we have a national crisis. A small number of cases have been brought to my attention recently and they must be addressed.

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