Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am on the record, in 2014, when HAP was introduced, as saying that unless it was accompanied by substantial building what would happen would be that we would be paying in perpetuity rents to the private sector. Essentially, that is what we are seeing because the scale of what is being built is being outstripped by the amount that is being spent on rents.

If long-term leasing is bad, what is the Taoiseach doing about it? One cannot rely on replies to parliament questions on this. One hears about long-term leasing locally.

It does not appear on a list anywhere in terms of what is negotiated or concluded. We know what has happened. There is a terrible lack of transparency in what is happening. It is being pushed heavily by the Housing Agency. There is a brochure on its website. In terms of how Ireland is being marketed, there is reference to rental returns. We are being picked over. What is the Taoiseach going to do about long-term leasing? It is going to be such a benefit to the sector that it will mean we will live on the never-never.

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