Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too thank People Before Profit-Solidarity for bringing forward this Bill, the principles of which Sinn Féin supports and which it will not oppose.

As the Government will be all too aware, soaring rents have caused great hardship to families, young people and those on low incomes. They are causing people immense stress and having an impact on their mental health.

The housing crisis is not only a problem for Dublin or Cork; it is also affecting my county of Kildare. My office is hearing from families who are struggling to pay rent and are being forced to live in overcrowded and unsuitable accommodation. This crisis is not only about numbers or statistics; it is a real problem that is affecting my constituents every day.

I would like to share with the Minister of State the harrowing story of a constituent who was recently evicted from their rental property. This person is a hard-working young adult who was forced to leave their home due to the landlord's desire to sell it. Despite having a steady income, they were unable to find alternative accommodation due to soaring rents in the area. They were forced to move back into their parents' home where they are now sharing a box room with their sibling. Imagine sharing a box room and having to get up to go and work the next day. Sadly, this is only one example of many that come through my door.

The Government's housing crisis is causing immense suffering and hardship, with soaring rents and lack of affordable housing pushing people into homelessness and creating a situation that is completely unacceptable. It is unacceptable that people are being forced to choose between paying exorbitant rents and facing homelessness. The introduction of rent reduction measures would provide immediate relief to families that struggling to pay their rent.

We in Sinn Féin have long campaigned for action on rents. Our calls have included the introduction of a renter's refundable tax credit to put one month's rent back into the pocket of every renter and, equally importantly, the implementation of a freeze on rent increases for a period of three years. The Minister of State needs to do much better.

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