James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to be here to discuss some of these significant issues. When the Minister was first appointed to Cabinet, I knew he was someone who would be a doer and who would try his utmost to help in all aspects of the housing crisis. This is one key fundamental part of it and the Minister has my support in that regard. I am vocal sometimes with regard to some of my views on the housing crisis but I imagine the Minister can appreciate the significant challenges that lie ahead of a new generation of first-time buyers in Ireland and people who are renting as well.

I wish to emphasise a particular point that has not been heard much today. It is something I came across and it is quite common in rural communities. A person may inherit a home as a result of a bereavement in a family. A person may accidentally end up with a house and end up renting it for income and to pay the bills and so on. I have come across a couple of situations - I will admit they are limited - but they were severe and significant for these people as a result of the provisions made by the Government. The tenants were involved in serious criminal activity. They were blatantly refusing to pay rent when they were in a position to do so. Yet, they were getting off almost scot-free. I call on the Minister to put a little focus on that. Often in politics there is a perception that all landlords are multimillionaires running around the country treating tenants poorly. However, there are other situations. In my constituency of Cork East there are some people who ended up in possession of a home, whether small or large, through a bereavement or inheritance and they have found themselves stuck in a couple of situations. The tenants in these situations do all tenants an injustice and damage.

Having said that, I wish to highlight that the protections we brought forward were a major benefit to many families. It gave them certainty and a degree of security in what was a highly uncertain time for them. These are the times we are going through now. It is this aspect I wish to put in context.

The Minister knows my views from the perspective of student renters. I am heartened to hear he will continue to engage with the Union of Students in Ireland. I hope he will meet representatives of the union soon. I welcome the decision of An Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, to meet USI representatives to discuss their efforts to improve the situation of students throughout the country. It is critical to listen to the message from USI. In reality, many student renters in the country are dealt a cruel hand in terms of the landlords they experience. Many such landlords are major pension funds that are investing heavily in student accommodation. There are major landlords based within cities. Few exceptions are made when people are going through highly difficult circumstances. This is no direct criticism of the Minister but it is an area where I wish the Government had done more. It affects people in rural communities like mine in the constituency of Cork East. The tradition is for those who go on to higher education, whether apprenticeships, universities, institutes of technology or FETAC degrees, to move from home and rent in city centres. They have been put in precarious financial circumstances and, frankly, do not have the money to meet the rents. They end up being evicted and they are dealt with in a poor fashion. I will finish on that point and appeal to the Minister to put a particular focus on that area.

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