Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill, which is about easing the pressure on renters by bringing in a three-year rent freeze. It can be done, as has been shown during Covid. We have witnessed a massive escalation in rental costs across the country, including Laois-Offaly, over the past decade. People need a rent freeze to give them a break.

Since 2013, rents in County Laois have increased by 85.4% and in County Offaly by 67.2%. Those are whopping increases by any standards. This surge in rental costs has put an incredible burden and stress on families and workers struggling to keep a roof over their heads. This has consequences for the health services and a range of other services in the State. Figures recently released by Daft.ieoutline that, despite Covid, rents went up by 6.6% in Offaly and 3.4% in Laois in the past 12 months. Increasing rents also drive up house prices, as they make it more attractive to landlords to buy and rent them, which pushes out couples and single people who want to buy a home, get going in life and secure a roof over their head.

Sinn Féin proposes a range of measures to tackle the housing crisis. This rent freeze is one part of our plan. We would also introduce tax credit of 8.5% to put a month's rent into renter's pockets and ease the pressure. We would increase capital investment to roll out affordable-to-purchase and cost-rental homes at a significant scale. There are no affordable to-rent or to-buy homes in Laois or Offaly, nor are there plans to supply them, unfortunately. This needs to change. The Government appears to have no plans for renters or solutions for those looking to buy a home at an affordable price.

The problem facing us of pensioners who will be forced to rent privately without sufficient income is also worrying. This is coming down the track quickly. A generation of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s have missed out on the opportunity to buy a home or secure a local authority home. How does the Government intend to provide them with secure housing as pensioners? Will HAP and rent subsidies be introduced with more taxpayers' money being thrown into the pockets of landlords? Is that the solution? We need to face this head-on.

Sinn Féin is putting forward a range of solutions, one of them this evening, to the housing crisis. We hope the Government and other Deputies will back these.

See this speech in context