Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the finding of the human rights committee of the Council of Europe that sizeable numbers of local authority tenants live in inadequate housing conditions. That is putting the matter very politely. Some of the housing conditions are utterly deplorable and shameful in 2021. The finding that the State is in breach of Article 16 of the European Social Charter in respect of Traveller-specific accommodation should not come as any surprise because, of course, it is not the first time that the State has been found to be in violation on these matters. In fact, these violations are decades in the making. The Taoiseach needs to give a response on these findings.

On the issue of renters, it is very clear what needs to happen. A full ban on evictions needs to be fully extended but, in addition, we need a decrease in rents. Sinn Féin has a proposal to put a month's rental income back into the pockets of renters by way of a tax credit. That should happen. We also need a full rent freeze. The manner in which renters have been literally left to their own devices - thrown to the wolves - by this Government and the previous one is absolutely astonishing.

Finally, the Government's shared equity loan scheme is clearly the wrong way to go. The Taoiseach does not have to take my word for that because, as he knows, the Central Bank, the ESRI, the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers and his own top civil servants have made clear that this scheme is the wrong way to go, will keep prices up and might even cause price inflation. It will not make housing affordable. I again ask that the shared equity loan scheme be removed from the affordable housing Bill.

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