Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and I can agree on that; of course we need to increase supply. That is the only real way we will solve the housing crisis that is impacting on so many different people. I take the Minister's point that he is working on this matter but the reality is that it is still costing people thousands of euro. That is not realistic. I know the Minister is interested in access to higher education or third level education no matter what avenue people want to take.

The other issue that has come up for me consistently is the regulation of digs. I am working on the issue and as soon as I have that work published, I will contact the Minister immediately. One of the things that stood out for me was young women telling me they cannot even lock their doors for privacy. As a young woman, and I know I am not as young as the women in question, I would not feel comfortable not being able to lock my bedroom door. There is also the issue of facilities, and not having access to them. Then there is the whole issue of there being no rent book, no access to the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, and so on. I understand digs regulation needs to be workable but it is needed. I ask the Minister to support me on that.

See this speech in context