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

It is interesting that the Taoiseach was talking about the difficulty of the leaving certificate mathematics exam when it is clear there are problems understanding mathematics in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The competitiveness challenge report highlighted the vital need to address the high cost of housing and one of the centrepieces of the Government's response to that issue is cost rental. I draw the Taoiseach's attention to the fact it is not possible for large numbers of people on many of the incomes within the cohort or band of earnings between €40,000 and €53,000, which is the income band that cost rental is supposed to address, to meet the criteria. Their applications are not even being allowed. For example, for people earning €45,000 with a need for two-bed accommodation, the criteria mean they are only allowed to pay a rent of €1,312. However, the rent for two-bed accommodation in Delgany under the cost-rental scheme is €1,445. Even people who are earning €50,000 and have a need for three-bed accommodation are not allowed to apply because the rent is €1,530 but they are only allowed to pay €1,458, which is 35% of their income.

Somebody has seriously messed up on the maths here. The criteria do not align to even allow applications for huge numbers of the people for whom this scheme is supposed to apply. I have come across three cases. This also has implications for the cost rental in situpurchase because if you do not fit the criteria, the local authority says it cannot buy the house. This is serious and urgent, and the Government needs to address it.

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