Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of rent pressure zones. When the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government targeted rent pressure zones last year, Limerick was not included yet rents there have gone up by over 20% in the first quarter. This is the highest and fastest growing rent increase in the country. I would like the Minister to come to the House to debate the issue in terms of including Limerick in the rent pressure zones or finding a way to address the fact that landlords are putting up rents at an exorbitant rate in quite a short space of time. We are paying out money through HAP. There are different ways of helping people but given the rate of rent increases, people will not be able to afford to pay rents anymore and it is causing significant problems with regard to our housing crisis.