Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The rent stability measures introduced in 2015 have not had the desired effect of slowing down the market and off-setting rising rents. The Simon Communities' report "Locked Out Of The Market V: The Gap between Rent Supplement/HAP Limits and Market Rents", published last week, showed that in the year to the second quarter of 2016, rents increased by 18.2% in Cork city; 10% in Dublin city centre; 14.6% in Louth; 13.9% in Galway city; 12.5% in County Kildare; 7.5% in County Leitrim; 15.5% in Limerick city; 12% in Laois; and 3.8% in Sligo. From this, we can conclude that rising rents are a problem for people nationwide, and it needs the national response which the Bill encompasses. The housing rental market needs new rules. The proposal in the Bill is not new or revolutionary. It is a form of rent regulation used in countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Germany and France, and we should use it in Ireland too. For the thousands of children, families and single people experiencing homelessness in Ireland tonight, I support the Bill.