John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government motion before us today seeks to approve an order to extend the accommodation recognition payment scheme, which is due to expire on 31 March of this year. We very much appreciate the value this scheme has brought by providing shelter to thousands of people fleeing war in Ukraine.

I acknowledge the compassion of the thousands of Irish families who have opened up their homes and who have welcomed and provided refuge to Ukrainian families in their hour of need. Host families deserve the certainty of knowing that this payment will remain in place until at least the end of the temporary protection directive next year. We appreciate that thousands of Ukrainians have benefited from this scheme, and they must continue to be supported by the scheme.

However, the further extension of the scheme creates an unacceptable level of competition for private rental properties. This is leading to a situation, unintended or otherwise, where the Government’s actions are incentivising the displacement of non-beneficiaries of the temporary protection directive - private renters - and afford an advantage to Ukrainian people over other renters. In our view, this is unfair and untenable. Equality and fairness have to be at the heart of this, consistent with social protection entitlements for new arrivals.

Therefore, in line with the approach to social welfare for new arrivals, it is imperative that we bring our offering more in line with that of other EU countries. Our priority must be to protect renters in the private rented sector from any further pressure.

Private renters are being crippled by record rent increases right across the State. The latest RTB report indicates that across the State record rent increases have resulted in an 11% increase in new rents, while existing rents have increased by 5%.

The further extension of the scheme creates an unacceptable level of competition for private rental properties. It incentivises the displacement of non-BOTP private renters and affords an advantage to Ukrainian renters over other renters which is unfair.

With that in mind, we have tabled an amendment to the Government's motion before us today. We propose that the scheme should only be extended for existing recipients with respect to Ukrainian people who are currently benefiting from the scheme and new people who sign up to host people in their own homes, or new hosts. The purpose and intent of our amendment would be that no new vacant properties could be signed up to the scheme and no new people could sign up to the scheme using rooms that students would otherwise avail of.

It is a sensible amendment. It seeks to alleviate pressures on people renting private accommodation whom the Minister's scheme, if allowed to proceed in its current guise, will heap additional pressures on right across the State.

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