Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the matter of rents in the midlands. We do not have rent pressure zone and have no way of controlling rents. If one looks at rents for the last 12 months in County Laois, they have risen by 10.7% while in County Offaly, they have gone up by 8.5%. Inflation is running at less than 1% and wages are at a standstill. I am appealing to the Government to do something about this. There is a real problem here. We talk about top-ups. Nine out of ten of the people who come into my office in Portlaoise are paying top-ups on the housing assistance payment, HAP. There are people who are not getting rent support and who are working and earning €350 to €360 a week. They are paying half their wages or more on rent. They are being skinned and fleeced and it affects their mental and physical health.

It affects their children. I say this to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Tánaiste and the other Ministers present. It puts considerable pressure on people. If one speaks to people working in the mental health services or to GPs in any area, one will see that it is causing great pressure. We have no way of controlling rents. I plead with the Government to do something to stop rents sky-rocketing.

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