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

The Department of Finance has issued a warning, and it has done so in stark terms. It has raised the risk of the investors developing monopolistic or oligopolistic pricing power in rent setting. It refers to pricing people on both average and low incomes out of the market. I asked the Minister a simple question, concerning what he intends to do about this, and he gave me a lecture about statistics. What does he intend to do about it?

We are talking about Kennedy Wilson taking over Elysian Tower in Cork, vulture funds taking over Leeside Apartments in Cork, the increasing power of Irish Residential Properties REIT in the Dublin area and so on. Does the Minister intend to introduce more aggressive rent control measures? Does he intend to end the tax breaks for the big corporate landlords? Crucially, does he intend to put more money into social housing in the inner-city areas in addition to the suburbs and other areas around the country, which is what is needed?

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