Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

Once again, I wish Paschal Donohoe, setting aside our significant political differences, the best on a personal level. I know he is a reader of books, and one book I know he has read, because we have talked about it, is by Thomas Piketty about the growing inequality in wealth in the world. The Deputy might therefore be interested in, or indeed maybe supportive of, my appeal to the Government not to increase income inequality affecting in particular some of Paschal's constituents in Dublin city, where there is significant concern among council residents, and a protest next Monday outside the Dublin City Council offices, about plans to increase the proportion of income council tenants will pay in rent from 15% to 18%. That would be a significant jump for, it should be remembered, some of the lowest income households in the city and in the country. The assumed income of certain categories of employee will also be increased significantly from, for example, €500 to €750 in the case of taxi drivers. The cap on subsidiary earners will also be increased. This will mean significant hikes in rent for some of the lowest income families. Eighteen per cent of a tiny income is a lot; 18% if you are a multimillionaire is not a lot. This is a cost-of-living hike for some of the lowest income families in Dublin city. It will affect other places too. The income thresholds have not been raised. I emphasise that this is the reason this is being done. We used to have people with higher incomes in social housing. Now they are excluded from housing lists, segregating the lowest income households and meaning the rental revenue coming back to local authorities is lower. The lowest income people should not be asked to pay the bill for that.

I ask the Government to intervene on this, stop the rent hikes on council tenants and start to raise income thresholds for social housing eligibility.

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