Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I reject the use of language like "chaotic" and all that. It is a good sound bite, but that is all it is - a sound bite with no substance behind it. The bottom line is that the reforms announced last week will enhance protections. The Deputy says it will drive up rents. Every existing tenant will have their rent capped at 2%. There will be no increase. Does the Deputy acknowledge that? Not one of them has acknowledged that. No existing tenant will have their rent increased. We want new units built. Very few apartments have been built. We have a problem there and we need to attract private sector investment in to get the supply up. Any new tenancies post March 2026 or any new units built will be capped at the CPI. Tenure has increased dramatically in terms of protections - no-fault evictions essentially for almost all tenants, but particularly for those with four or more. These are significant protections over and above what was there before the reforms announced last week and yet they get the decried and attacked. Basically, it is as if rhetoric will win out in the end from the Opposition's perspective.

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