Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this important issue. I want to be very clear for people watching at home the decisions the Government has taken and the legislation the Government is taking through the Houses this week is legislation that will extend the rent pressure zones. As everybody renting across Ireland knows, the rent pressure zones were due to end at Christmas. Had we not taken action they would have ended. They would have disappeared. Not only have we taken a decision to extend the rent pressure zones based on the advice of the Housing Agency and others, we have also taken the decision to expand the rent pressure zones to parts of the country that were not covered and to do that in a speedy fashion. About 11 counties in Ireland will benefit from that. Rent pressure zones staying in place and going nationwide is a good and sensible thing to happen in terms of protecting existing tenants.

The Deputy quoted the Central Bank report, but of course he just quoted parts of it. The Central Bank also said our rent pressure zone reforms will have a positive effect on supply. Its representatives acknowledge housing projections are subject to uncertainty, but they said this morning it is not impossible to reach the targets, though there are a number of steps that need to be taken. Many of the steps they have outlined are areas where we have seen Government place a priority focus on in recent weeks. These include the establishment of an Coimisiún Pleanála, the decision to extend planning permissions that could have expired, the decision to make more developments exempted - because in some local authorities about 50% of a planner's time can be taken up on small things like attic conversions or modular developments in the back garden - and the new national planning framework we have brought through this House to ensure there is enough land zoned to get to the 300,000 plus homes we need to deliver by the end of 2030. Next month we will see a very significant programme of investment from Government in the key enabling infrastructure to deliver homes, particularly to do with water, wastewater and energy as well. So we are taking steps.

I know exactly what I said about students last week. I said: "We will be taking specific measures to support students; do not worry ... because we have their backs", and we do and we will.

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