Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I would like to be associated with the words of sympathy on the very tragic death of Garda Golden. By all accounts, he was a man with a big heart. He responded as a garda as he was expected to do, but sadly lost his life. I extend my sympathies to his family on their great loss. I commend Garda Golden on his service to our nation. I extend my sympathy to the families bereaved by all the tragic deaths in Carrickmines.

Yesterday when I commented on the budget, I said there appeared to be a little something for everyone except third level students and their families. I have thought about this since and must reiterate that I am really disappointed there was no move on the student contribution charge of €3,000. Within a few years, all the youths in the Visitors' Gallery will be going to college. Every year during the recession, the charge has increased by €250. It would have been nice to see a small dent in that. I am saying this because the families and students affected are the very ones who were hit by an out-of-control rental sector. There is no rental certainty for our students, including in Galway. Every day I receive a call from a family in trouble in Galway. Individuals tell me they are due to leave their house in January but have five young children, including a baby who is sick. They ask what they should do and I actually say that I do not know. The council has no houses to give them. I knocked on a man's door the other day and asked him how things were and whether there was anything he would like to say. He said he was fine because he had got a house and was finally a homeowner. He said he was saying that because all his friends are in the rental sector.In Galway, we have the largest percentage of people relying on the rental sector in the country. Of our homes, 40% are in the rental sector. Think about how fragile that base is. We have had 10,000 people on the housing list for years in Galway. As such, I support Senator Hayden and others who have been flying this flag for the longest time. Let us start a campaign in the Seanad to get rental certainty for our families and students. Let us do that before this Seanad term expires. I ask the Leader to secure the attendance of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, or whatever Minister is in charge, be it the Minister for Finance or the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. They need to work together on this, because we are talking about expenditure but we are also talking about imagination. A Bill is ready to be brought to the floor of the House to deal with the rental sector and rent certainty. Let us do it.