Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I am simply aghast to see how the Government conducts its business with arrogance and incompetence. I recall some months ago there being a discussion on the role of inconsistent policy in driving investment away. In his press release last week, the Minister said this legislation is intended to introduce certainty. It is railroaded legislation in which we have already seen holes. It is poor legislation that will introduce a convoluted four-tiered rent pressure regime. It is unclear legislation, the detail of which has shifted across what has been at least four different contradictory and confusing announcements. This is Minister's attempt to introduce certainty. It is galling that with a straight face he has the arrogance to stand over this poorly-thought-out and ill-conceived piece of legislation in the House. This is the theme throughout Government and nowhere more so than in housing policy. The Government has an ideological opposition to building public homes on public land, especially if they are to be built by the State. We know this.

The public-private partnership scheme was a farce. Effectively the Government rediscovered the concept of council housing but had to make space in it for its investor friends to wet their beaks. It is right the Minister has pulled the plug on it but the manner in which he has done so, putting houses, jobs and taxpayers' money at risk, has been, again, a farce. It is gross incompetence. The Minister should have done this months ago and not left a building contractor with a significant liability. He should have done it months ago and not potentially exposed the State to a significant liability. He should have done it in a way that would not have put jobs at risk but he did not. The manner in which he did it is an illustration of the gross incompetence that is actually maladministration.

The legislation the Minister has brought before the House today is woeful. He forgot about the students in the midst of a student housing crisis. Selling the spiel that he will cut rents is an untruth. Was the Minister of further and higher education not present when this was brought to Cabinet? Has the Government forgotten about the student housing crisis? This is the reason we have a legislative process; it is for Bills to be adequately and appropriately scrutinised. However, the Government has no need for legislative conventions and norms. It wants uncertainty for institutional investors and that is its goal. Does the Minister honestly believe that how he has handled legislation will instil confidence? Sinn Féin is the party of confidence. We believe in having certainty in policy for the market and for homeowners and renters alike. We want to ban rent increases, ban no-fault evictions, support the reduction of the cost of rent, provide funding to bring vacant council houses back into use, adequately fund the tenant in situ scheme and mandate that interest rate reductions are passed onto homeowners.

The only certainty that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are capable of bringing to the housing crisis is that they screw it up again and again. They should be deeply ashamed of their proposals today, which will, rather than cut rents, expose renters to increased rents, increased evictions and increased homelessness. Shame on the Minister of State and every one of the Government Members.

See this speech in context