Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I spoke last week in support of the motion of no confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and nothing I have heard this week has made me change my mind. The Government's housing policy is a failure. It has failed the 4,000 children who will wake up on Christmas morning in emergency accommodation. More and more families are entering homelessness due to spiralling rents in this country. They simply cannot afford rent increases on top of increases in the cost of childcare, insurance, education and normal everyday life. There was a time in this country when families worked to live but now many families just work to survive and any extra cost can push them over the edge. Rents are out of control and continue to rise. The annual 4% rent increase permitted in rent pressure zones is something that families have come to dread. Let us take the example of a family with three children on a very modest income who are just over the threshold for social housing and therefore not eligible for any assistance. This family cannot afford to save for a mortgage because of rental costs. In 2016, the family's rent was €1,400 per month, which they could just about afford. The 4% increase kicked in from January 2017, when their rent increased to €1,456 per month. In 2018, it increased to €1,514, in 2019 it went up to €1,574 and in January 2020, their rent will be €1,637 per month. In a few short years, this financially crippled family has seen its rent increase from €1,400 per month to €1,637. The annual rent increase has not only pushed working families into poverty; it has pushed many into homelessness.

This Sinn Féin Bill, if passed, would ensure that renters are protected from the worry of future rent hikes. It would also give workers and families a break by putting up to €1,500 back into their pockets. Renters deserve better and all Deputies in this House, including the Minister - but I will not hold my breath - have a chance to give them a much needed break.

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