Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We have an absolutely dire rental and housing crisis. For a Bill that we table to try to address these extortionate rents we get sent the Minister of State with responsibility for heritage, electoral reform, local government and planning. The Minister with responsibility for housing does not even bother to come in. I find that really sickening. Yet again, I do not get an answer, although I am not surprised, on why the Government broke its promise to tell us what is happening with the review of the social housing income eligibility thresholds. We were promised they would be announced before the summer recess. The promise has been broken. Many people are suffering as a result. Rents have reached €2,000 and €2,200 a month in Dublin. This year, rents have increased by 10% in Dublin and Cork, 13% in Galway, 15% in Limerick, 16% in Waterford and 24% in Leitrim. Record numbers of families and homeless people are on the street. The Government will go off on its summer holidays while people are suffering misery.

The Minister of State reeled off statistics. I will give him statistics. He mentioned Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. There are 4,000 households in need of permanent secure homes in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. Over the next five years that are covered by the plan, another 2,825 will join the list. The Housing for All plan the Minister of State said will work will deliver 2,318 homes. There will be more people on the housing list in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at the end of the plan than there are now. The situation now is that people on the housing list are waiting for 20 years. People cannot get a house from the council. The HAP rates are not high enough. In many cases, people cannot even get on housing list or become eligible for housing support. Amy, who has a family of three, was homeless once five years ago. She is overholding and will be evicted in the coming weeks. She will not go back into homeless accommodation.

Shauna is over-holding on her lease, has three kids, serious mental health issues and nowhere to go. She is faced with homeless accommodation. Joanna, who has three children, is faced with eviction at the end of July and there is nothing within the HAP limits in the area. Maria actually works for a housing charity and faces eviction in October. She cannot find anywhere to rent. Karen faces eviction on 3 September. She has a child with a severe ASD diagnosis. Emily has one child and has been put into emergency accommodation in Dublin city centre. "D", whose full name I will not mention, is working, was previously homeless, is being evicted from a HAP tenancy, cannot find anywhere else and will be back into emergency accommodation. Another mother with two children was removed from the housing list because her mother works part time. She has gone over the limit by €400 and is entitled to absolutely nothing. Jason works for the council and lives in his car. Helen is sleeping rough in Glasthule. I could go on and on. There is nothing for them and the Minister cannot even bother to come in to address it.

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