Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Some months ago, if not a year ago, I raised an issue in regard to rent pressure zones with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. While rent pressure zones are not perfect, because they are not applied uniformly, some anomalies have been created. I raised with the Minister a particular anomaly in regard to Carrigaline, at which point he said that he expected it would be rectified. It has not been rectified. In the most recent review, the electoral area of Macroom was designated as a rent pressure zone. The Minister and I are familiar with Macroom and Carrigaline. There is no way that rents in Macroom are rising faster or higher in that part of the county than they are in Carrigaline.

It seems to me that this has been overlooked by the Department. I have followed up on it on a number of occasions and I have spoken with the Minister, Deputy Murphy. In the southern part of Carrigaline and the surrounding areas which are close to the city rents are high and rising rapidly. It is my suspicion, given that nothing has happened since I last raised the issue, that this is an anomaly that was not captured in the legislation and that the Department is not monitoring it. The Department does not have the ability to capture rising rents and, therefore, the areas that should be designated. I hope I am wrong.

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