Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Fair play to the Cathaoirleach.

In fairness, Senator Coffey has also said that we know of colleagues in this situation. Let us address the elephant in the room. One in four Members of the Oireachtas is a landlord and I want to put on the record that it is a factor here. Landlords will not vote for measures that will impact on them. Frankly, there are too few people from a working class background in these institutions and too many landlords.

We know there is a crisis. Anyone who holds a constituency clinic knows there is a crisis, and I accept what Senator Murnane O'Connor has said, yet here is the Minister of State again. As my colleague has said, this is the fourth occasion to debate the matter. It is an opportunity for the Minister of State to do something about rent certainty. We have recommended a civic engagement measure but once again the Government will turn it down.

I acknowledge that some landlords are struggling. By way of solution the Government should tackle the banks that are still trying to cripple landlords who are in debt. Again, the Government has done nothing about the matter.

We could see the State intervene and buy some of the houses. That policy could be enacted but there is no word of doing so. As my colleague, Senator Ó Clochartaigh, correctly pointed out, there is an ideological problem with the State buying houses and a mindset of leaving it to the markets and landlords as God forbid that the State should become involved in buying houses. Housing has gone wrong because we have a homelessness crisis.