Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last week's report from the RTB, as shocking as it was, was no great surprise. It only confirmed what we already knew, which is that there has been a shocking increase in rent across Cork and across the country on this Government's watch. We know this from the ever-increasing number of people calling to our constituency offices who simply cannot put a roof over their heads any longer. Couples who have been renting and living together are moving back in with their parents.

Young people are deciding to emigrate because they see no realistic chance of being able to afford a decent standard of living while being forced to pay sky-high rent. Older people approaching retirement are now more frequently worried about how they will continue to pay extortionate rents on a State pension. Some of the hardest cases we deal with in our offices are those of people who either do not qualify for social housing or who do not have a lot of credited time. It is very difficult to say anything to them because the options for them are so scarce. You can tell them to go looking for rental properties but they are just not there. Families, workers and young people deserve and need affordable housing and affordable rents.

In Cork, the average rent for a new tenancy is a staggering €1,363 per month, which shows an increase of 9% on last year. There is also a 3.7% increase in the average for existing tenancies. In many instances, rents are far above that. They can be €1,500 or €1,600 per month for very ordinary houses. This is scandalous. Rents are through the roof and renters are being fleeced. Renters need immediate support from the Government. Sinn Féin's proposals to cut rents and stop increases would have prevented these increases. We need the Government to listen to the proposals in this motion and to immediately introduce an emergency three-year ban on rent increases for existing and new tenancies. The Government must also put a full month's rent back in every private renter's pocket and increase the supply of affordable properties to rent or buy. The targets for affordable housing are absolutely pathetic. For Cork city, the target is about 100 a year. That is nowhere near the amount needed.

These are immediate practical steps the Government can take to finally give renters the break they need and deserve. However, only a change of government and a change of housing policy will allow us to start cleaning up the mess of decades of bad Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil housing policy. The longer Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are in government, the worse things seem to get. That is evident in these record increases and in the record level of homelessness in this State. The Government needs to support this motion and to finally support struggling renters.

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