Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of the crisis in the rental sector. We all know rents are way too high. The average rates across the State are €1,250 per month. In Dublin, average rents are €1,745 per month. New rents are even higher again. In Dublin Bay South, a new two-bed apartment can cost between €2,500 and €3,000 per month. How on earth can working people afford these kinds of rents? Even people in good jobs are struggling. The financial burden that renting is putting on hundreds of thousands of renters is enormous. It is even worse if you are trying to save for a deposit.

We are seeing young people and an entire generation being locked out of home ownership and their lives being put on hold. It is making it more difficult for others to put a secure roof over their heads. In 2016, Sinn Féin tabled rent certainty legislation which linked rent to inflation. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted that down and because of that, renters are now paying up to €6,500 more per year in rent. That is the cost of this Government's failure to stand up for renters.

Rents are now so high that linking rents to inflation is not enough. We need an emergency three-year ban on rent increases. When Sinn Féin tabled its ban on rent increases Bill a year ago, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party voted it down and because of that vote, renters are paying even higher rents today. Tomorrow, the Sinn Féin team in the Dáil will be tabling that Bill again. The Government is proposing to link rent to inflation which is too little, too late. Inflation is running at 1.9% and rising. Renters cannot take any more increases. I hope our colleagues in government will support Sinn Féin's Bill tomorrow in the Dáil. It is time to ban rent increases and it is time to stand up for renters.