Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last week it was announced that rents in Cork had risen by over 15% in 2022 and the average monthly rent is now over €1,700. The Tánaiste is a Cork man, like me. There is no way any ordinary family can afford €1,700 a month for rent.

It has gone beyond the ordinary person. On top of that, dozens of families are in with me at the moment that I am trying to help. They are facing eviction in April, May and June when the eviction ban ends. I fear a tsunami of homelessness coming for the summer and I implore the Tánaiste to look at extending the ban on evictions to at least the end of the year to give those families some protection. When this ban on evictions ends, where will those people and families go?

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