Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Go raibh maith agat. Glacaim buíochas le chuile duine de na Seanadóirí a labhair agus leis an Aire as teacht.

The contribution made by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, is probably one of the most disappointing, in terms of it missing the main issue, I have heard from a Minister in a debate in this Chamber. There is a short-term and long-term issue involved. The short-term issue is that there are people on rent supplement who have been told they must renegotiate their rents or leave the houses they are currently living in. This is not pie in the sky, it is reality. We have been, as I am sure have other Senators, meeting with these people on the ground. We have also received a presentation from them in the AV room. A number of the people affected will be outside the gates of Leinster House tomorrow at noon to draw attention to their situation.

Many of those affected by this cut are families. They are being asked to move out of the houses which they have made their homes and to uproot their children from the schools they are attending and the communities in which they are living. This is the immediate issue that must be addressed. We are asking the Minister of State to direct HEOs to be a little more lenient in this regard. The Minister of State has stated that no one will be made homeless as a result of this measure. However, I believe she is detached from reality on a number of issues. There is a difference between what she says is happening and what is actually happening on the ground in terms of engagement between tenants and CWOs. Tenants believe they are being forced to renegotiate with landlords or move out of their homes, which is the crux of the issue. As stated by Senator Hayden, many of these people are not in a strong position personally to negotiate with landlords. They should not be being put in that position by Government. There is a need for a little more leniency to ensure nobody is uprooted from their home or community.

The longer-term issue is that these rent caps are not fair and are not working. I challenge the Minister of State to find a house for rent within the caps set. She would not be able to find one in any area, be it urban or rural, either on daft.ie or any other way. This is what we are being told by people who are at the end of their tether when they come to our offices. The Government needs to provide social housing. We welcome the positive statements today around the new scheme. However, as stated we cannot pass judgment on a scheme which is unknown to us. The motion calls on the Minister of State to reverse the rent caps until this issue has been addressed in a fairer manner.

A number of other practical issues have come to our attention following our discussions with people in this situation, including that a person who has paid a deposit on a house or apartment will not have that money refunded until they have moved out of the house, which means they will not have the deposit necessary to put down on the new house. Another issue is the cost of hiring a van and so on to move furniture, which can be enormous. In addition, a tenant who owns the furniture in the house from which he or she is moving will, if he or she cannot find an unfurnished house, have to bear the cost of storing that furniture. These are the practical issues facing people on the ground, which are the issues we are trying to address in the motion before the House.

I believe the Minister of State misrepresented our intentions and that a number of her comments in that regard were unfair. The Minister of State mentioned that in certain circumstances people are being allowed to top up. However, that is not what we are hearing on the ground. I was told by a superintendent, who shall remain unnamed, that they are taking legal action against anybody found to be topping up, be it a landlord or tenant.