Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not a landlord but I know a lot of landlords and a lot of tenants. Many of both are fantastic but there is a minority of bad landlords and a minority of bad tenants. Many of the bad landlords care about nothing other than increasing rents on their properties. Some of those properties are not even liveable but their owners continue to squeeze people because they know they have nowhere else to go. The average rent across the country is now €1,500 a month, with variations on that figure throughout the State.

The provision in the Bill that a tenant who engages in antisocial or criminal behaviour will not be exempt from termination of their lease is only fair, both for people living in rental accommodation and for those living next door to rental accommodation. This is a two-way street and we must make sure people in rental accommodation appreciate where they are and that both renters and landlords work together with their neighbours in the locality. As I said, there are fantastic people renting and fantastic landlords.

I have been talking to local business owners who are struggling to get employees. They say that if they had to, they would build accommodation for staff. One of the people I spoke to, who has been in business since 1977, expressed the same willingness to put up accommodation for staff but said the planning laws will not allow it. Under those laws, he can build accommodation for his staff but he would have to give X amount back for social housing. For the future-proofing of these businesses, it does not make sense for the owners to build properties for their staff and then have to build social and affordable housing or make a payment in place of doing so. The Government needs to look at that situation. It could help people to get a job and have a roof over their heads. Some of the people these business owners want to build properties for have been in their employment for the past 15 or 20 years and are currently in rental accommodation they can no longer afford. This is putting pressure on the employers, who must raise wages to hold on to their staff. That cost will be passed to the person who is buying the product over the counter. This creates inflation, which means the cost comes back to the Exchequer in the end. This is an issue the Minister of State must look at if we are to ensure people in this country can be housed. Businesses should be able to provide housing for employees if it benefits the business to do so.

Elsewhere in Europe, 50% of people live in apartments. In Ireland, that figure is 10%. It does not make sense. The reason for the lack of accommodation provision in this State is the failure of this Government and previous Governments to put infrastructure in place around the country. That lack of infrastructure is causing a lot of our problems.

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