Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to ask the Minister about the recent housing review published last week in the middle of the budget. There are only five counties where the threshold for social housing was increased. Surely the thresholds must be revised as soon as possible, considering the substantial rise in rents and property and the cost-of-living crisis the country faces now and into the near future, with inflation predicted to run close to 8%. In Wexford, rents have risen by 14.7% and housing prices have increased by 70%. In my constituency office, we hear every day from people who are marginally over the threshold - in some cases they are only €1,000 to €3,000 over it.

I will refer to a woman called Mary – that is not her real name - who worked hard to save and put herself through college, through part-time bar or restaurant work. She has one child and works in children's mental health. She did some extra hours last year due to heavy demand. However, this year her hours were cut and her landlord put her rent up by €200 per month. Due to the fact that her earnings from last year put her over the limit, she cannot qualify for HAP or social housing. She is now on far less money each week, has more rent to pay and still has to feed and look after her child. Mary said she is seriously considering giving up her job altogether.

A couple were on the minimum wage and paying their way, but both lost their jobs and cannot afford their rent. They were never in receipt of HAP or any other assistance or rent relief. They do not qualify for social housing because their earnings in the previous year were above the threshold. They are facing homelessness with four children and nowhere to go. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg, and I am sure many Deputies in this House can supply many cases like those I have just described.

The simple fact is that people on average wages only have what they earn in a given week. That is why we need to change the current criteria and increase the threshold to cover what people were earning within the last three months of the current year. Just as energy companies are promising to place a moratorium on disconnections, a moratorium on evictions should be enforced, in particular in the winter months, just as was done during the pandemic. There should also be a freeze on rent increases. Other European countries do this, and we should do the same.

We need an enlarged tenant in situscheme. Local authorities must be given the capital to buy the properties of existing tenants. Acquisitions must be increased. Such an approach offers solutions that are immediate and saves money in the long term because it does not require planning permission or new builds and reduces the carbon footprint. Finally, homelessness in my county has increased by 113%. We need a winter ban on evictions now.

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