Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government refers to putting in place measures that would allow tenants to avoid future rental increase shocks, yet on Monday we learned that, according to daft.ie, there have been year-on-year rent increases of 11% nationally. There has been an increase of 14% in my home city, Cork. For tenants who have suffered rent increases of 14% and more over the past year, the rent pressure zones and the 4% rent cap are a cruel hoax. Where is the rent control? In the United States, housing campaigners have a slogan. They say they are actively involved in campaigning because "the rent is too damned high". It is too damned high in this country for hundreds of thousands, including young people who are locked out of the housing market. Given the failure of the Government's rent control policies to date, is the Taoiseach now prepared to implement real rent control measures, which in the current circumstances means measures that cut the price of rent?

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