Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is profoundly disappointing that we heard the announcement for third level and the supports available to third level students yesterday but nothing was done in terms of increasing the cap on the amount students can earn in part-time work. That cap should have been increased because students are facing a crisis in terms of spiralling rents. That was definitely a missed opportunity by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and I want to put that on the record.

We have a crisis with rent. There is no longer any doubt we are in a state of complete and overwhelming emergency when it comes to our housing needs and the inability of people to pay rent.

It is simply incredible to think the average rent nationally now stands at €1,516 per month. As I understand it, that is a spike of 6.8% and marks the 36th consecutive quarter where rents are higher than they were in the previous 12 months.

Our recent analysis of trends in the Irish residential sales market shows the biggest year-on-year increases in the State are in my county of Offaly, where it is up almost 18%. The designation of Tullamore as a rent pressure zone provided limited support and limited financial certainty to tenants in the medium to long term. That was badly needed because, at the time, the latest figures from the Residential Tenancies Board rent index showed an increase of almost 10% in Laois and 6% in Offaly. That meant many of my constituents in Tullamore, Edenderry and Portlaoise were paying at least €1,000 every month before the current crisis erupted.

We need to take urgent action here. We have a deep crisis but I also call on the Government to look at the issue around the cap on students' earnings to allow them that little bit of flexibility to pay the spiralling rents.

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