Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have lost count of the number of times I have asked the Taoiseach to ban rent increases; each time he has said "No". Despite rents soaring to unaffordable levels, the Taoiseach will not budge. Now, because of his refusal to act, runaway rents have hit an all-time high. The recent report of the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, shows massive rent hikes over the last 12 months. New rents have increased by almost 12% in the last year. It is the highest annual rent hike since the RTB began recording these figures 15 years ago. The average new rent being charged across the State is €1,600. An average of €2,105 per month is being charged in Dublin. This is off the wall stuff and is not sustainable for any worker, family or young person.

Runaway rents have become almost normalised on the watch of the Government but there is nothing normal about hard-pressed renters being fleeced right, left and centre. There is nothing normal about levels of rent that keep going up and up. How are renters to build a good life as they fork out these extortionate rents? Most do not stand a chance of getting a mortgage deposit together; not a hope. Every month is another hammer blow to renters who want to own a home. They do all of the right things. They work hard, make cutbacks, scrimp and save but with each rent hike the dream of homeownership is pushed even farther away. Is it any wonder that homeownership has collapsed under this Government for a generation? It is no wonder that renters pack their bags for Australia and Canada; they are getting out of Dodge. Older renters approaching pension age are also caught up in this nightmare. They worry that their pension will not cover their rent. What an awful feeling it must be for someone who has worked hard all of their life, only to be left with this terrible uncertainty.

Families, workers and young people deserve and need affordable housing and rent. Yet the response of the Government has been to set affordable housing targets that are far too low and to miss those targets again and again. The Government tells us its housing plan is working but that claim does not stack up in the real world. Housing prices are up, homeownership is down, rents are through the roof and homelessness is at record levels. That is the Government's performance on housing and its repeated message to renters is "Do not look to us for real help; you are on your own". That will not wash any more. Renters need meaningful action now. The tax credit the Government provided is too low and it is being swallowed up by extortionate rent hikes. Without a ban on rent increases, this will keep happening.

Ní thagann aon deireadh le cíosanna ró-dhaor. Caithfidh an Rialtas cosc a chur ar arduithe cíosanna ar feadh trí bliana agus cíosanna a ghearradh trí cíos iomlán na míosa a chur ar ais i bpócaí cíosaithe. Renters are crying out to Government for help that will make an impact and a difference. Sinn Féin brings a motion before the Dáil tonight. It calls on the Government to do two things for renters. First, it calls on the Government to implement an emergency three-year ban on rent increases. Second, it calls on the Government to cut rents by putting a full month of rent back in the pockets of every private renter. Will the Government finally take these actions?

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