Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Foley, provided me with these closing remarks. Housing remains a priority matter for Government, led by my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Housing for All strategy delivers on the programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system. Rent pressure zones were introduced by the Government in recognition of the rising costs of rent and are located in parts of the country where rents are highest and rising, and where households have the greatest difficulty finding affordable accommodation. They are intended to moderate the rise in rents in these areas and create a stable and sustainable rental market that allows landlords and tenants to plan financially for their future.

However, these current pressures are not unique to any one sector, and therefore a measure such as that referred to by the Deputy could not fairly be explored for any one group of workers. The Senator and I can both agree that it should be for all. The introduction of a measure such as a special rate of pay in rent pressure zones could occur only under central processes and any specific proposals would need to be considered by the Department of public expenditure.