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

I thank my constituency colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for tabling this important motion on giving renters a break. Fine Gael's disastrous housing policy while in government has left many workers and families in dire living situations.

They face unaffordable rents, unaffordable house prices, whole estates being devoured by vulture funds, and public lands being sold to private developers. During the charade this country had to endure of the confidence and supply arrangement in the previous Dáil, Fianna Fáil Deputies huffed and puffed on the opposite side of the Chamber to Fine Gael. Instead of the changes Fianna Fáil promised to deliver once in government, it picked up the mantle of failed housing policies and carried on regardless. Since when does an affordable home cost €400,000 or more? To whom is that affordable? It is not affordable for ordinary workers and families. The Minister can huff and puff all he likes but he cannot blow down the reality that the homes are simply not there and, where they are, they are not affordable for ordinary workers and families.

In my constituency, rents in Lucan are in excess of €2,300 a month. There are families in Clondalkin who are in desperate need of a secure roof over their heads. The Government's housing policy has created a system where good tenants will not, for fear of homelessness, report rogue landlords providing substandard accommodation. Sinn Féin in government would ensure that all rental properties are compliant with minimum standards by introducing an NCT-type system. The Government has no plan for the rental sector but Deputy Ó Broin does. Sinn Féin would implement an emergency three-year ban on rent increases, not simply freeze rents, which are already expensive enough. We would legislate for tenancies of indefinite duration to enable workers and families to put down roots in their communities. We would also introduce a refundable tax credit for tenants in the private rental sector to put a month's rent back in the pocket of ordinary workers and families. These actions only require political will. The Government has no plan to reduce rents, protect renters from further rent hikes and prioritise affordable rental supply, but Sinn Féin does.

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