Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Last Friday the Department of Social Protection published a report on the rent supplement scheme which recommended that rent supplement limits not be increased on the basis that it would accelerate the rate of rent increases in the market. That is patent rubbish because rents are increasing in the Dublin by 10%, some indices by 15% and in the rest of the country at different levels. They are predicted to rise by 20% in the next 12 months. The real question is whether rent supplement tenants can access properties in the market at current rent supplement rate. The answer to that question is no. What is happening as a result is that people are finding themselves homeless. I, therefore, ask the Leader for a debate as a matter of urgency with the Minister not only on the most recent report but on the future of the rent supplement scheme. Much concern was expressed in the media at the weekend by a number of homeless organisations which regard this matter as urgent, given that about 200 families are living in hotels and that the position will get much worse. The Department cannot wash its hands of the matter in the way it has attempted to do.

I call for a debate on the wind-down of NAMA and, in particular, the Project Cobalt style initiative where NAMA is planning to off-load remaining blocks of apartments within the M50 ring. Unfortunately, they will be off-loaded to purchasers of blocks of 20, 30 and up to 150 units, which is ruling out the selling of individual units to young people who want to enter the home ownership market. It begs the question as to what role NAMA is playing in the housing market, in particular in limiting access to individuals to home ownership.