Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am going to talk about rent pressure zones. There have been many announcements today on the radio and, as Senators know, a list of 19 new local electoral areas across 11 counties have been entered into the rent pressure zones. Carlow has yet again been left out. Graiguecullen-Portarlington in County Laois has now been designated a rent pressure zone even though the majority of Graiguecullen is in the Carlow electoral area. As much as that electoral area is rural, in one estate straddling the border of Laois and Carlow, the private rents are actually higher on the Carlow side.

Kilkenny has been added which is great because that is good for Kilkenny. I now believe we need to examine that. Carlow should have been included and I am gutted it was not. Rents in Carlow are between €950 or €1,000 and €1,600 per month despite the figures from Department statements which state rents are approximately €800 per month. Those figures are totally wrong and that is why Carlow is not qualifying. There is a population of 16,425 in Carlow town. The local authority rent caps are almost double that of the neighbouring local authorities so tenants from all sectors of society are being hit over and over again.

Carlow is the smallest county in the Carlow-Kilkenny constituency with only one Deputy to the four in Kilkenny. We are really being hit hard here. I want the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to come into the Seanad to explain the thinking behind this. It does not seem right at all and it is unfair that we in Carlow are not getting what we should. We should be included in the rent pressure zones. It is unfair and we are always forgotten.

The rent thresholds for local authorities were meant to have been looked at eight years ago and, despite the Minister coming before this House several times, there has still been no review regarding it.It was meant to come a year ago. It still has not come.

I echo the points made by Senator Ardagh regarding the Mercosur deal. This deal is so unfair on farmers. I also echo Senator Ardagh's call for the Taoiseach to make a statement saying that he will not ratify this deal.