Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

notes with extreme concern that: - 7,062 eviction notices were issued to tenants from January to March this year, up 51 per cent on the same period in 2025;

- new private rents have hit their highest level in 25 years with the rate of rent inflation at the highest since records began; further notes that: - for three consecutive quarters, the number of eviction notices has increased dramatically, 38 per cent in Q3 2025 and 41 per cent in Q4 2025;

- statewide, market rents have jumped 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of this year to €2,176 a month for a two-bed apartment, costing €26,000 a year;

- in Dublin, new rents are up 7 per cent, with a two-bed apartment now costing €2,536 a month and €30,000 a year in rent;

- in Galway City, rents have increased by a staggering 18 per cent with a two-bed apartment costing €2,290 per month and more than €27,000 a year in rent;

- in Cork City, rents have increased by 13 per cent, in Limerick City they are up by 9.7 per cent, and in Waterford City they are up by 7.6 per cent;

- this dramatic surge in market rents is a direct consequence of the Government’s decision to allow landlords to reset rents between tenancies;

- these trends are the direct result of Government policy and will lead to increased displacement of tenants, increased rents and increased homelessness;

- the Government continues to miss its social and affordable housing targets, targets that were too low to begin with, and too few private for-purchase homes are being built or coming to the market; resolves that: - Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s housing policy continues to make the housing crisis worse and, in particular, is failing renters; calls on Government to: - introduce an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions;

- cut private rents by putting a full month’s rent back into every private renter’s pocket;

- oppose rent increases for council tenants, those in receipt of Housing Assistance Payments, Rental Accommodation Scheme payments and cost rental tenants; and

- introduce a radical reset of housing policy as set out by the Housing Commission and to increase and accelerate the delivery of social, affordable and private for-purchase homes.

I wish to share time with Senator Andrews.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister to the Seanad. I and my colleagues in Sinn Féin have brought this motion forward because we remain deeply concerned about the rental sector in Ireland and, of course, the Government’s policies which are worsening the housing crisis month by month. The updated homelessness figures will be out this Friday and no doubt the figures will, sadly, break new records. Every month more people are forced into homelessness. More young people end up back with their parents in their childhood bedroom and unfortunately, we see many of them, who just cannot continue to stay there due to the lack of dignity, independence and privacy, leave every single week whether it is to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and so on.

This Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government recently introduced new rental measures - a market reset – which is already showing to be disastrous for people, workers and families who already struggle to pay rent and are now receiving eviction notices. The Daft report published last week proved what we were saying all along, that the rent hike Bill would push up rents. Alongside the higher rent increases, we are also seeing a 51% increase in eviction notices across the country. This is no coincidence. This is a direct result of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael policy. These figures are stark, but they are not just numbers. They are real people struggling with the real impacts of these policies. Last week’s Daft report showed that to rent a two-bedroom house in County Limerick has gone up by a staggering 32% since last year. The average rent on two-bedroom houses is now just over €1,700 a month.

Where does that leave families? One family I spoke to in Limerick last week, came into my office crying and sobbing with sheer depression. It broke my heart to sit there and listen to what they are going through. Jane - I am not going to use surnames - and her husband are just €1,000 over the limit on their wages to be able to apply for social housing. They have two young children and they have been given a termination notice on their rented home. So, where do they go? They do not have family they can turn to. They do not qualify for the housing assistance payment, HAP, or long-term emergency accommodation. If they are lucky enough to find another house to rent, and if Members go on daft.ie any day of the week, they will see that there are slim pickings out there, they are looking at a significant increase in their rent payment.

I am going to run through their situation. This family has an income of about just over €710 per week. Based on the average rent they will pay if they find another property, that is €400 a week leaving them with €310.A weekly shop for a family of four - two adults and two kids - costs approximately €180. That leaves them €130 a week to pay for electricity, gas, bin charges and school fees and, considering they live in County Limerick with its lack of public services and public transport, they are guaranteed to have a car which brings with it tax and car insurance. God forbid something goes wrong with the car because they will not have the money. On €130 per week, they will find it very hard to budget for that. It is just an impossible situation for them and they are at their wits' end. I am hearing this consistently in my office. I have families coming in to me who are looking at eviction notices. They do not know how they are going to survive this.

The Government can put whatever spin it wants on housing policy and how successful it thinks it is but the facts are the lived experiences of the people, and they tell a completely different story. This Government is not listening. We told it the rent hike Bill would cause an increase in rents. The Government said it would not and told us we were being dramatic. What does the Minister say now that the facts and figures are laid bare for him?

This is from last week's report by daft.ie:

This sharp surge in rents coincides with the new rent control system. A key feature of the new rules is the ability to reset rents to market levels when a tenancy ends. For landlords whose rents had been constrained by earlier rules, this represents an opportunity to realign rents with prevailing market conditions. The scale of the increase in early 2026 suggests that this opportunity has been taken up widely, where tenancies have recently turned over.

This surge in rents comes at a time when the overall availability of rental housing remains very limited. As a result, the price effects of the new system have appeared more quickly and more clearly than any increase in supply.

These are not my words; they are from a daft.iereport. Will the Minister acknowledge the figures? Does he agree or disagree with the report? Does he acknowledge and agree or disagree with the Housing Commission's view that a radical reset of housing policy is needed?

The amendment to the motion is an insult to every single renter who is struggling to keep a roof over their head. It is an insult to the 17,500 people who are homeless and the thousands of young people who are fed up because they feel they will never move out of their family homes and instead are leaving the country. This Government does not listen and it is high time for it to admit the policies it is putting in place are not working.

Again, we call on the Government to introduce an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions; cut private rents by putting a full month's rent back into every private renter's pocket; oppose rent increases for council tenants, those in receipt of HAP and rental accommodation scheme, RAS, payments, and cost rental tenants; introduce a radical reset of housing policy, as set out by the Housing Commission; and increase and accelerate the delivery of social, affordable and private for-purchase homes.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery a former Senator from County Clare, Tony Mulcahy. Thank you for being here with your guests today. Anois an Seanadóir Andrews.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I first commend the work my colleague Deputy Eoin Ó Broin has done in the area of housing, particularly for those in social housing and private rental properties, by leading the way in showing that there is an alternative model for our housing system. There is a lot of hopelessness among the public right now when it comes to the housing crisis and a lack of belief that the challenges we face in terms of affordability and access to decent housing can be overcome. This is hardly a surprise when we look at the housing Ministers we have been graced with in the past decade or more.

In 2020, before the formation of the previous coalition Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael stood before the Irish people and pledged to build 200,000 new homes during their term in office. This goal was not met. We are now well into a new Government term, and this goal of 200,000 homes, which itself was already too low, has still not been met. Rents and homelessness have increased year on year. Buying a home is only getting more difficult and more out of reach for working families. Rental properties are only getting harder to find, especially for those on HAP. Social housing is practically non-existent for the vast majority of people who need it and the conditions in existing social housing complexes are often unliveable due to poor maintenance and a lack of facilities. If someone were to join the Dublin City Council social housing list today, they are likely to be waiting a full decade, if not longer, before being offered a home. Social housing in this State was designed to be a safety net, but it is clearly not working if someone is falling for ten years before being caught in that safety net.

Since 2014, Governments have announced housing plan after housing plan that promised to get our housing system back on track and end the housing crisis once and for all. How many times have we heard that? First came the social housing strategy under the Labour Party-Fine Gael austerity Government. Then came Rebuilding Ireland, which only made the housing crisis worse. Then we had Housing for All, which failed to meet its targets or improve access to housing. Each of these plans was an abject failure and the housing crisis has continued without a dent being made in it.

Now, the Government has announced yet another housing plan, this time named Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, which rehashes all the failed policies of the past decade. A critical piece in this new housing policy was the Government's rent-hike legislation, which has led to the fastest quarterly rise in rents since 2002. Under these new rules, landlords have been able to hike rents up to the highest possible market rate regardless of where they were before. This means that in the first quarter of 2026, the average private rent has jumped a staggering 7.8% in just three months. In that same period, eviction notices were up over 50%, as landlords looked to end their existing tenancy agreements and replace them with new agreements that are not exempt from these new rules. The Government knowingly pushed rental inflation to its highest level in a quarter of a century, solely in the hope that it will give additional incentives to developers and speculators. This is a perfect example of the Government's misguided approach to housing. Tenants are the last to benefit from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's housing policies while developers are the first, and often only ones, to gain from Government policy.

The solution to the housing crisis is not going to be found by further tightening the noose on private renters and social housing tenants and it will not be found by selling out the country to foreign speculators and developers whose only interest is delivering a profit for their shareholders. The only solution will be for the Government to turn this disastrous approach around, institute an immediate rent freeze and eviction ban and accelerate the delivery of social and genuinely affordable homes. Social and affordable housing is ultimately the key to bringing down rents and ensuring that everyone who needs a home has a home. Cities like Vienna have a far healthier and affordable rental market, with housing costs in many cases half of what they are in Dublin. This is a direct result of 60% of homes in that city being owned either by the state or their version of approved housing bodies. In Vienna, a two-bedroom apartment can be found for just over €1,000 per month. In Dublin, that same apartment would cost an average of €2,500 a month, or over €30,000 a year. A family would need a six-figure income in order to afford to rent an apartment in this city.

In new-build developments like the glass bottle site, rents are completely out of reach for all but a tiny, wealthy proportion of the population. Across the city, developers will not lower the rents on new-build apartment buildings, as that would reduce the speculative value of their properties. As a result, the buildings lie empty, while people sleep on the streets. We have homes without people and people without homes. A housing system that prioritises property values and investor profits over the public need is a broken system. That is what this motion is ultimately about. Our housing system is failing. It is failing renters, who are extorted for all they earn. It is failing social housing tenants, who are completely ignored by the State unless they miss a rent cheque. It is failing prospective buyers, who are seeing house prices constantly go up. The Government needs for once to admit it has made a mistake when it comes to housing. It is well past time to start putting renters and tenants first, not last. I would like to ask the Minister about the Glass Bottle site, which I have raised here previously. There is ongoing concern that the groups down there that have worked with the Government, Dublin City Council and the developers are being ignored by the Minister. They have put in a request to meet the Minister and he has failed to meet them. It is hard to understand why. Maybe the Minister could give some insight as to why he is refusing to meet the Glass Bottle residents' groups who have worked tirelessly to ensure the community is involved and housing is delivered in Ringsend and on Pearse Street.

Another group of residents who have been looking to meet the Minister but he has avoiding them is the Pearse House residents. The Minister pulled the regeneration of their flax complex and he came up with a yellow-pack version for the regeneration of Pearse House. The residents have asked to meet the Minister and he has refused to meet them. The least they deserve is to meet with the Minister, engage with him and figure out a way of delivering better homes for families in Pearse Street. That is all they deserve. They deserve that and it is the least they deserve. I ask that the Minister gives some insight as to why he has refused to meet the Pearse House residents and the Glass Bottle residents' group.

I second the motion.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "That Seanad Éireann:" and substitute the following:

"notes that: - - the Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable high-quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment including cost rental and other means and in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters by ensuring equity and fairness for landlords and tenants;

- comprehensive reviews of the private rental market and of the rent pressure zones (RPZs) rent control system were undertaken in 2024 and 2025, which assessed the rental market generally, the operation of RPZs since their introduction, their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, the retention of landlords and attracting new investment;

- the modifications to rent controls were informed by the findings of the Housing Agency’s Review of Rent Pressure Zones and Consideration of Potential Policy Options. The review involved engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of landlord and tenant advocacy groups, academics, investors and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB);

- it recommended a modification of rent controls and also recommended that landlords be allowed to reset rents to market levels between tenancies, while providing for stronger tenant protections to guard against economic evictions;

- the review indicated that the provision to reset rent between tenancies may see some rent inflation, but that this is expected to moderate as new supply comes on-stream;

- online platforms measure rent asking prices, which tend to be higher than the actual rents paid;

- there is consistently a variance between online platform asking prices and the RTB rent index of actual rents paid in new tenancies; online advertising is not the sole mechanism for letting to tenants;

- the Rent Index report published by the RTB is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector in Ireland;

- compared to other market monitoring reports produced for the Irish rental sector the RTB Rent Index has the considerable benefit of being based on regulatory data covering all new tenancy registrations, regardless of how the property was advertised for rent;

- the most recent Rent Index report, released by the RTB on 14th May, 2026 in respect of Q4 2025, shows that nationally, standardised average market rents continue to rise for new and existing tenancies; the rate of new tenancy rent increases has been relatively stable for the last six quarters at a national level, although the trends do vary across regions; a 5 per cent yearly increase was reported nationwide;

- the standardised average rent for new tenancies in Q4 2025 is €1,755 nationally, €2,232 in Dublin, and €1,437 per month outside Dublin;

- the standard average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a new tenancy stood at €1,792 nationwide, a 4.4 per cent yearly increase, but a 0.8 per cent decrease compared to Q3 2025;

- in Dublin, the standard average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in a new tenancy was €2,315, up 3.9 per cent from last year, but down 2.6 per cent on a quarterly basis;

- the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 came into effect on 1st March, 2026, introducing a new national rent control for all tenancies, which limits rent increases to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) up to a maximum of 2 per cent; for new build apartments and student-specific accommodation, however, rent increases are capped at the level of inflation (CPI) only; these changes were introduced to promote greater investment in the rental market and to increase the supply of rental properties; the Act also provides significant improvements in security of tenure for renters;

- while February saw a sharp increase in Notices of Terminations (NoTs), the RTB confirmed that the trend is moderating, with an 18 per cent increase for March compared to March 2025 but a 39 per cent decrease from February 2026;

- to offer greater protection to tenants, rolling six-year tenancies of minimum duration (TMD) apply for new tenancies created for the first time between parties on or after 1st March, 2026; this means a new tenancy that continues for six months becomes a tenancy of unlimited duration, with rolling six year TMDs, providing real security of tenure for tenants;

- nationally, registered private tenancies rose by 2.44 per cent annually to 246,477 in Q1 2026;

- the number of private landlords rose by 1.3 per cent annually to 105,847, indicating increased participation in the rental market; there is no exodus of landlords from the market, and the rental sector continues to show resilience;

- prevention of homelessness in the first instance is an absolute priority; there are many prevention initiatives already underway in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and across Government; this includes the provision of social and affordable housing, Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and homeless HAP, and tenancy protection legislation;

- in order to ensure a fully aligned all-of-Government approach, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to a holistic, cross-departmental approach to homelessness prevention; work has commenced on developing a national Homelessness Prevention Framework to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness; it is intended that this framework will be in place later on in the year;

- addressing family homelessness is another key priority for Government; the new housing plan includes a commitment to develop a dedicated Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan; this will bring together key stakeholders to drive the continued focus on preventing children and families entering emergency accommodation, providing enhanced supports for children experiencing homelessness, as well as measures to accelerate exits and reduce the time spent by children and their families in homeless emergency accommodation;

- delivering Homes, Building Communities recognises that the rental market is an important element of a well-functioning housing system; it contains a suite of measures to support domestic and international investment in the delivery of new rental properties, in particular the supply of new apartments;

- Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments; recent reforms to the rental market aim to encourage investment and development, which will encourage the building of new rental apartments, help slow down rent increases and moderate rent levels over time;

- the Government has significantly increased resources allocated to the RTB to meet the demands of a modern rental sector;

- further Government measures introduced to support renters include the increase in the tax credit for renters under Budget 2025 to a maximum of €1,000 for each renter in a household; Budget 2026 extends the Rent Tax Credit, which was due to expire at the end of 2025, for a further three years, to the end of 2028;

- the increase in the thresholds for access to cost rental homes, which was increased from €53,000 net to €66,000 net in Dublin and €59,000 outside Dublin, in July 2023; Seanad Éireann acknowledges that increased supply is key to meeting demand and moderating the pent-up pressures in the private rental sector and welcomes that: - there has been an unprecedented level of delivery of new-build social homes, with 2025 representing the largest number of new-build social homes constructed since the foundation of the State;

- the new housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities is focused on putting in place the conditions to enable delivery of a minimum of 300,000 new homes between 2025 and 2030;

- the plan includes a commitment to deliver 72,000 social homes and provide 90,000 affordable supports to help people secure a home of their own;

- it seeks to significantly accelerate delivery of new homes by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity – including regulatory reform, tax incentives and the largest ever capital investment in the history of the State, with €275 billion invested in infrastructure over ten years through the National Development Plan;

- to accelerate future supply, Budget 2026 included a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments including a reduced VAT rate and an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs;

- the revised National Planning Framework, published in April 2025, is a major step forward in this regard, and will help increase capacity and accelerate home building across the country; recognises that considerable progress has been made, including that: - almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered over the past five years; this compares with 83,267 in the previous five-year period and just 29,217 in the five years before that;

- a total of 36,284 new dwellings were completed in 2025 – an increase of 20 per cent year on year;

- the unprecedented level of investment the Government has committed will bring about a very significant scale-up in the delivery of housing over the coming years, address the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities, make buying and renting homes more affordable and support the development of villages, town and cities across the country;

- the delivery of 300,000 homes by 2030 that will, however, require an estimated €20 billion in development finance each year, a significant portion of which will need to come from investment by the private sector to support home ownership and a well functioning private rental market; and agrees that continued implementation of Delivering Homes and Building Communities represents the most appropriate response to deal with the housing challenges which Ireland is now facing.”.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I say to Members on the opposite side of the House that nobody on this side of the House is immune to the housing crisis. We hear the same concerns and tales of distress and upset in our constituency offices on a daily basis. We are confident and conscious that the Government and us as a collective body are working to resolve this problem. It is frustrating when we come in here and hear the same, tired mantras coming from the Opposition. It is the same rhetoric and the same song list every time they come in. When I hear them applauding Eoin Ó Broin and all he is doing for housing, all he has done so far is write a few books. He has yet to build a house.

We have an action plan that will see the delivery of 300,000 houses in the lifetime of this Government. Last year, 36,284 new dwellings were completed. That was a record for recent years. There was also a record 7,856 houses completed in quarter 1 of 2026, a rise of 32.9% on the same period for 2025. Even Daft, which the Opposition is so keen to quote - it is great to see people from the socialist world quoting daft.ie, which is very much a commercial vehicle about making money on the backs of renters and the property market. Over recent years, it has paid out substantially large dividends. It is great to see the Opposition can find favour with that organisation. This Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable, high quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment, including cost rental and other means, in a manner that respects the security of tenure for renters and by ensuring equality and fairness for landlords and tenants.

Overseas landlords and holders of property were referenced but the vast majority of landlords in this county are your Mamas and Papas landlords. They are people who might have one property or, in exceptional cases, may have two or three properties. That is the vast sum of landlords in these countries. They have rights too. They should not be thrown under a bus. Many of these people bought houses at the height of the property prices and paid exorbitant fees for them. They struggled for the past 20 years with the prices and expectation that was placed upon them by that excessive investment. They are now just coming out the other side. If they want, they have a right to sell that property while respecting tenants' rights. Nobody should bounce a property owner into a situation where he cannot have at least some control of his or her property. It is very easy to roll out the mantra of tenants. We respect and know full well the challenges that tenants are facing but there is another side to the equation and it is those landlords who the Opposition would be all too happy to throw under the bus.

The Government has undertaken comprehensive reviews of the private rental market and of the rent pressure zones rent control system throughout 2024 and 2025, which assessed the rental market generally, as well as the operation of RPZs since their introduction, their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders and the retention of landlords and attracting new investment. That told us we needed a seismic intervention and we needed a once-in-a-lifetime recalibration and resetting of the rental market in Ireland. That is what this Government did. It did not do it willy-nilly and it did not come out with the old, tired Sinn Féin mantra of bringing in an eviction ban. We looked at the market and said how best can we calibrate a broken market. We looked at best practice across the world and we made a significant intervention. It was an intervention which will, in the fullness of time, be proven to show it was the right intervention for the time.

The modification of rent controls were informed by the findings of the Housing Agency review on rent pressure zones and consideration of potential policy options. The review involved engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives of landlord and tenancy advocate groups, academics, investors and the Residential Tenancies Board. It recommended a modification of rent controls and recommended that landlords be allowed to reset rents to market levels between tenancies, while providing for stronger tenant protections to guard against economic evictions.

What the Opposition, and Sinn Féin in particular, will not acknowledge is that renters in Ireland now have the best safeguards ever in this country. It was not Sinn Féin that brought them in. It was a Fianna Fáil Government that brought them in and we are very proud of that. We are proud that we have always delivered on housing since the foundation of this State and we always recognised the rights of - the Opposition can smirk all they want, they have nothing yet on housing. You cannot build a house in Northern Ireland for love or money. Yet, you are coming down here and telling us how to build houses. You have done nothing on housing in Northern Ireland. The record speaks for itself up there.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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For God's sake. Fianna Fáil's record speaks for itself.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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It does of course.

All Sinn Féin is doing is coming in here and throwing out the same old tired mantra. We have made the hard decisions, as we have had to do time and time again over the decades. We have made the intervention that the market said was correct, what the academics said was the correct thing to do and we have done it. We have not done it on the back of one of Eoin Ó Broin's books either. The review indicated the provision to reset rents between tenancies may see some rent inflation - we acknowledge that - but this is expected to moderate as new supply comes on stream.

New supply is coming on stream. There were a record 7,850 homes completed in quarter 1 of 2026, an increase of 33% on the previous year. The only way we will address the housing supply and rent crisis in this country is to build more houses. We are building those houses. We are building them with conviction and ramping up those numbers on a monthly basis. We are doing so because we have a Minister of housing at the helm who cares passionately about this. He recognises the challenges that young couples, elderly people and society generally are facing right across the country. He engaged with the industry, best practice and looked around the world and saw what was needed here. We made a seismic intervention in the rental market - a once-in-a-generation intervention that has reset and recalibrated this rental market. It is something Sinn Féin would never have done because they would be afraid there are no sound bites that can guide them through the hard decisions.

PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister to the Seanad. I thank him for being here for this debate this evening. We need to look at the question; why would anybody be a landlord? Why would anybody put their hard earned money and savings into buying a second or third house and renting it out? Why? They would do it to make some profit is the obvious answer. What is being proposed here is that all of these small landlords, who saved their hard earned money over many years to buy a second or third house, would no longer be in a position to make enough of a profit for it to be worth their while doing that. Already, we are seeing a huge number of small landlords leaving the market because of interventions to date that many people suggest to me have already gone too far. However, what is being proposed here goes way further again.What is being proposed presents a risk of market distortion and reduced money for investment in maintenance and refurbishment of properties that are on the rental market. What Sinn Féin is proposing would freeze the market and make the shortage of rental accommodation substantially worse as the exodus of small landlords from the market would accelerate as a result of what is being proposed, if it were to go through.

This Government has already introduced substantial residential tenancy changes. I find it most entertaining to hear the Sinn Féin spokespersons quoting Vienna as a fine example of the rental market. When this Government tried to reduce minimum apartment sizes, in line with Vienna, guess what Sinn Féin did? It voted against it, as usual.

We hear the argument that this Government is making the housing crisis worse. This claim, I am afraid, ignores the concrete legislative action taken in 2026. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 is the strongest tenant protection legislation in the history of this State. On more than one occasion, the Minister, Deputy Browne, has stated correctly that tenants in Ireland will have the most robust set of protections they have ever had. Sinn Féin's own position of opposing investment-friendly policies would reduce supply and push rents higher over the medium term.

It has been suggested by the Opposition that the Government is failing renters. The legislation enacted earlier this year provides renters with a national rent cap for the first time outside the rent pressure zones, RPZs. It provides effective abolition of no-fault evictions for larger landlords. It provides full transparency on rent history and market comparisons. It provides long-term security through minimum duration tenancies. These are not aspirational commitments. They are law, in force since 1 March 2026.

The Sinn Féin motion is a political attack that fails to account for the Government's substantial recent legislative achievements. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 and the Delivering Homes, Building Communities policy represent a comprehensive two-pronged response to the rental crisis, robust tenant protection in the short term and a credible plan to deliver the supply that will bring lasting stability in the housing sector into the future.

Laura Harmon (Labour)
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I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion. It is telling how vexed the Government side is getting about this topic.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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Emotional.

Laura Harmon (Labour)
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It is indefensible.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator, without interruption.

Laura Harmon (Labour)
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The progress made is indefensible. It is crystal clear that the targets for house-building and social homes were not met last year. If it is so hard to be a landlord, why are one in five TDs landlords? Only eight Members of the Oireachtas are renting. There are 234 Members of the Oireachtas and only eight of them are renting, according to a survey in The Irish Times.

The homeless figures are released every month. We know that the figures are much larger than what is reported in terms of hidden homelessness. More than 17,500 people are reported as homeless, 5,500 of whom are children. Poverty is skyrocketing in this country, which is supposed to be wealthy. Some 28% of children in this country are at risk of poverty when housing costs are taken into account. Rental property prices across Cork city, for example, were three times the national average at the end of March this year. Rental prices there are 64% higher than pre-Covid levels and 110% higher than their Celtic tiger peak. The cost of living and the cost of renting is crucifying people in this country. I do not believe that this Government cares about renters. It has thrown renters to the wolves. The average cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Cork city is now €2,126 per month.

The fastest growing cohort of people falling into homelessness in this country is single people. It is impossible for them. People on single incomes are really struggling. They are struggling to get onto the property ladder. There is very little support for them when it comes to buying their own properties. More needs to be done to get people out of renting. There was a record number of eviction notices for rental properties in Ireland in the first three months of the year. We said this was going to happen. It was predictable and preventable. The Minister said he made a seismic intervention in the rental sector. What he has done is make more people homeless. That is an absolute fact. It is recorded. The Residential Tenancies Board received 7,062 notices of termination in the first quarter of this year, up 50% from the same period last year and the highest quarterly figure since these data series began in 2022. By what measure is the Government succeeding in protecting renters? The data does not lie.

The landlord's intention to sell the property was listed as the reason for the termination in 60% of the cases. We need good landlords. Of course we need landlords in the market. I would argue that the Government opened the floodgates and let in the vulture funds. It has let in big investors and developers, who are buying up properties that people living in this country wish to buy. When we are trying to buy properties in this country, we are competing with big investors and developers. That is the position in which the Government has put the Irish people when it comes to trying to get on the property ladder. I have said this a million times before, but one of my biggest concerns at the minute, and it should be all of our concern, is that we cannot have a whole generation of people renting in the future when they are of pension age. People's pensions are already being eroded. There is already poverty in old age. What are we going to do when a whole generation of renting pensioners fall into homelessness? This is a ticking time bomb. It is already becoming a crisis in this country.

We need to build at scale. The Labour Party is calling for an emergency three-year eviction ban. We need to end no-fault evictions. We need emergency protections for renters now. I would argue that we need a rent cap. A rent cap for student accommodation is vital. The Minister for further and higher education was before the House just the other day. We see colleges are bypassing the RPZ rules and increasing service charges to increase rents. There needs to be an intervention in that part of the market and more joined-up thinking between the Department of housing and other Departments, such as the Department of further and higher education. That needs to be addressed as part of this.

The latest figures show a housing market that has been destroyed by Fianna Fáil's tried and tested policies, with rents increasing by more than 100% in the past decade and almost 50% since the Covid-19 pandemic. Those figures come before the devastating impact of the market reset mechanism is fully felt. That will allow landlords to reset rents to market rates between tenancies to bring about the return of double-digit rent increases and a return to economic evictions. One in four households entering homelessness in Dublin, for example, is coming directly from the private rental sector, driven by notices of termination and unaffordable rent.

What would we in the Labour Party do differently? As I said, we would introduce a ban on no-fault evictions, increase the targets and meet the targets for social and affordable housing to at least 16,000 homes per year, overhaul second-hand acquisitions and the tenant in situ scheme to improve prevention, supply a State-led solution through a State construction company working with local authorities, and transform the Land Development Agency. Many of us in the Opposition have been proposing this for a long time now. There are solutions. I do not envy the Minister's task. Many of the issues were inherited by him but we absolutely need to address them. We need urgency around it because the country's future is at stake.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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We have had a housing crisis in this country for some time and the reason for it is that Fianna Fáil crashed the economy in 2008 and decided to stop building houses. It had no foresight whatsoever and allowed our construction workers to leave the country and go elsewhere. Now we have in excess of 17,000 people in homeless accommodation, including 5,000 children. This does not count all the families who do not access emergency accommodation, including those who sleep on our streets, in their parents' box rooms and on their friends' sofas. There are also the people who are emigrating because they cannot afford to live here.

The Minister speaks about constituents going into his office to tell him their stories. He has the power to do something about it but he is not doing it; he is making the situation ten times worse. Evictions in the first three months of this year were up by 51%. In my county of Cavan there were 77 evictions in the first three months of the year. A total of 111 families have presented as homeless so far this year in my county. This is a mixture of families, couples and single people. Of these, 29 families or households had to access emergency accommodation. I have to commend Cavan County Council, which does its utmost to try to house people, avoid them having to go into emergency accommodation and help them find rentals. It is difficult and it is getting more difficult to find rentals that people can afford to live in.

Rents continue to rise. People facing eviction who have been renting a house for a number of years at a reasonable rent are suddenly being evicted. This is, perhaps, because the person who owns the house had it as their retirement policy. That is fine and they want to sell the house and enjoy their retirement. Perhaps the owner has a family member who needs a home. Whatever the reason is, when those families are evicted they have nowhere to go. Rents rose by 4.5% again in the first three months of the year.

Cavan is one of six counties that has double-digit rent inflation on last year, at 10.6%. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is €1,245. I was contacted by a person looking for a rental property. An unfurnished two-bedroom apartment in a rural area of the county was advertised at €1,100 but when the person inquired, they were told it was €1,750 unless someone is in receipt of the accommodation recognition payment, ARP. Why would this amount of money be charged for a two-bedroom unfurnished apartment in the middle of rural Cavan? Why would it be advertised falsely as being for €1,100? As someone said to me, the situation is causing huge resentment and division in communities. People feel they are being treated differently depending on what supports they qualify for. The person went on to say that, regardless of nationality or background, the reality is the housing system is failing everyone trying to rent privately, and I absolutely agree.

There are 1,157 people on the housing list in Cavan at the moment. Most of them have to wait years before they are housed by the local authority. They have to rent privately. They get the assistance of HAP but they cannot find a landlord who will accept HAP. They end up moving in with parents, accessing emergency accommodation or leaving the country. Those who are over the threshold for social housing but do not earn enough to get a mortgage are completely caught. They have no support whatsoever and they cannot find somewhere to rent they can afford. They are faced with moving in with their parents or leaving the country. We need a lot more social housing and a lot more affordable housing on a large scale.

The Act that was sold to us came into being in March. We were told there would be short-term pain for long-term gain but people have been suffering for a long time. It is not short-term pain. They are already suffering and they cannot suffer any more. They cannot afford to pay colossal rents that continue to rise. What is the point of giving them security in a rental if they cannot afford it? Everyone should have tenure security but if they cannot afford to rent in the first place, there is absolutely no point.

This is a never-ending cycle and we need some proper policies. We need a ban on no-fault evictions for a period of time until the Government gets its act together to provide sufficient social and affordable housing for the people of this country.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Sinn Féin Senators for initiating the motion and I thank colleagues for their contributions to what I consider to be an important discussion in the House. Housing and homelessness are defining social and economic issues for this country and they have my unwavering focus and priority. Access to suitable, affordable and safe accommodation and secure tenancies is essential for every family and individual. The Government is mobilising the most significant resources in the history of the State to tackle the challenge at hand. I reassert the Government's commitment and determination to tackle the challenges in the housing sector.

The Government's goal is to have a housing system that genuinely responds to the needs of our people and has safe and secure homes for people to grow up and grow old in, regardless of where they are in life, what pay band they are in or whether they are renting or intend to own. No one in the Government underestimates the scale of the challenge. We must ensure that we enhance supply as much as possible.

I recognise the strain and stress that can be caused by the scarcity of rental accommodation, the rent pressures that often accompany it and those who may end up in homelessness. I am doing my utmost to tackle this and improve the situation. We have to increase the supply of all types of homes, including social, affordable and cost rental, and increase the availability of homes and rooms in the private rental market and to purchase. Only a sustained increase in the supply of homes of all tenure types can actually solve this problem sustainably. Other measures are temporary at best and will do little to get what we need in terms of the number of homes people need throughout the country.

An eviction ban and rent freeze would have a significant impact in deterring the medium and longer term supply of rental accommodation. It would act as a disincentive to landlords who are considering entering the rental market and for investors who supply the number of homes needed to part solve these challenges. A freeze on rents would only freeze the rental crisis without a solution. We need to provide hope, not only for those renting but also for those who cannot find anywhere to rent and need the supply of homes increased.

It is clear that the motion was prompted by the recent publication of the Daft rent report. However, the rent index report published by the RTB is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector, as it tracks actual rents paid and not asking prices. It is independent in how it puts together its evidence to provide the figures available. It is important, in the context of this debate, to focus on the evidence we have and on facts. Nationally, standardised average market rents continue to rise for new and existing tenancies but the rate of new tenancy rent increases has been relatively stable for the last six quarters at a national level. The rent index for quarter 4 of 2025 showed that year on year rents in new tenancies increased nationally by 5%. However, there was a decrease of 1.1% from quarter 3 of 2025, which is a positive sign. The rent index for quarter 4 of 2025 showed that year on year existing rents increased nationally by 4.4% and by 0.7% quarterly. This again demonstrates a moderating trend.

The number of private landlords rose by 1.3% annually to 105,847, indicating increased participation in the rental market. It shows there is no mass exodus of landlords from the market. The latest data published by the RTB shows continued resilience in the Irish rental sector, with ongoing growth in tenancies and landlords in the market. This is important when we look at the increase in the number of homes delivered last year and the number of tenancies. We are providing more homes for people throughout the country.

We have to implement an ambitious plan to reform practically every aspect of our housing system. Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 is that action plan. Despite the challenges we face, the plan is moving the dial in the right direction. There is momentum and we will drive on. I am determined to do that. We are working tirelessly to address the challenges and implement policies that make a positive difference to individuals and wider society. While there is still much to do, the motion initiated by Sinn Féin Senators does not fairly represent the efforts and progress made to date.

It is important that I reiterate the real progress we have made in recent years, including that relating to social and affordable housing delivery. I will set out the key changes we have introduced and our plans to scale up the supply of housing across all tenures. Between July 2020 and the end of 2025, almost 59,000 social homes were added to the social housing stock and more than 15,000 homes were brought back into use under the voids programme. Local authorities are delivering affordable homes, with funding of almost €690 million approved from the affordable housing fund to support the delivery of over 7,650 affordable purchase and cost rental homes by 25 local authorities. Over the past five years, almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered.

This is significant progress but there is recognition that we have to build on it. The Government has implemented a range of measures in recent years to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social and affordable housing and private rental.The recently enacted Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 introduced a new national rent control for all new tenancies, which limits rent increases. It also now means that Ireland offers among the strongest tenancy protections in Europe, with these measures providing the most robust tenancy protections in the history of this State.

These changes were also introduced to help to attract and increase the supply of rental properties. Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments. The reforms aim to encourage investment and development, while also providing stronger protections for tenants. It will take time for new supply to materialise given the nature of investment decisions and large-scale residential development. Affordability is also at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied within our housing plan, with the Government targeting the delivery of 72,000 new social homes and 90,000 affordable supports. The plan reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented by the Government to tackle the issues of supply and affordability, thereby supporting the increased provision of new homes to purchase and rent.

Record levels of social and affordable housing delivery have been achieved in recent years. In 2025, a total of 9,089 new-build social homes were constructed. This is the highest delivery of social homes in the history of the State. It is an increase of 1,256 homes, or 16%, compared to 2024. Over 42,000 new-build social homes have been delivered between 2022 and 2025. I am providing substantial funding to local authorities, the Land Development Agency, LDA, and the approved housing bodies.

To support increased delivery, the national development plan has committed record levels of funding. In 2026 alone, a record level of investment is being provided for housing delivery, with €5.2 billion in Exchequer capital funding complemented by investment through the LDA and lending from the Housing Finance Agency. This brings the total capital funding for housing in 2026 alone to over €9 billion. This record level of funding is supporting the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental homes. This capital funding will be supplemented by over €2 billion in current funding to address housing needs. Since the launch of cost rental in 2021, around €2.25 billion in Exchequer funding has been approved for cost-rental projects.

I wish to emphasise that the programme for Government recognises the important role that the private rental sector plays in housing for many people and will continue to do so into the future. This Government will address the challenges in this sector, including standards, security and affordability. The Government recognises that there is a need to urgently and substantially scale up housing delivery, including emergency accommodation and social housing. This will take some pressure off the rental market.

There has been clear progress and we have a solid foundation upon which to build for the future. The reforms we have introduced have taken time because they are so comprehensive and far-reaching. Housing delivery envisaged under Delivering Homes, Building Communities is focused through short, medium and long-term actions. The Government is working every day to deliver on its comprehensive and detailed plan of action.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I have been hearing about safeguards for tenants and renters and Ireland having some of the strongest protections for renters. If people cannot afford to rent a house, the safeguards and strongest protections are not worth the paper they are written on, because people will not have the house to have those safeguards. They will be stuck in emergency accommodation. I did smirk and laugh a little bit while some of my colleagues across the floor were speaking because I found it quite comical to hear that the Government has done so much for housing over the last number of years, and that it does this and does that. The only thing I can see the Government doing for housing is enabling evictions and putting policies in place that ensure landlords can undertake these evictions.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator is only cherry-picking the numbers now.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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No. I am speaking without interruption.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Collins, without interruption, please.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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The Government's representatives need to start listening to what the people who come into their offices are saying. They need to actually listen to them, because I do not think anybody across the floor listens. People are in bits. They cannot find somewhere to live and when they do, they cannot afford it. People are constantly in fear of being evicted because the new rules that came in ensure the landlord can up the price once they evict the tenant. It is an absolutely ridiculous rule to have put in place. The rent caps put in are too high, to start with.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It is the complete opposite.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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The only thing that does not work in this country is the majority of people's wages. For middle-income earners, the only thing not going up is their wages. The costs of paying for the food shop, car insurance, rent, insurance and tax have all gone up for them. The cost of everything they are paying for has gone up because of inflation. The only thing not matching it is their wages.

What do I say to Jane and her husband, who are left with €130 a week just after paying the rent? They have two kids. What if a school tour comes up? Do they have to go to the principal or teacher, get down on their hands and knees, with embarrassment and pride in their heart, say they cannot afford the school tour this year and ask if they can get a payment plan for it? What is an experience like this doing to people? I just do not think the Government is seeing the bigger picture. I do not think it is hearing the stories it needs to hear.

What is wrong is that the offices of the Government representatives are being packed up with the developers and investors. They are the ones getting the sweet deals when it comes to rent in this country. The Government is saying that our Private Members' Bill does not represent the progress that this Government has made. The 17,500 people living in homeless accommodation represent the Government and what it has done. This is what it needs to look at.

I am really sorry if it sounds very blunt, but the Government’s policies are not worth the paper they are written on, because they are not working. Do you know what? I would respect the Government and its representatives so much more if, just once in a while, they put their hands up and said this is not working, so let us stop and look at it, and go back and change it a little bit. The Government does not have to say that we were right. We are not asking for that. We just want the Government to get this right for the people on the ground. By the way, Deputy Eoin Ó Broin is not in government and never has been. How could he build a bloody house?

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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On a point of order-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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There is no point of order.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I put a couple of questions to the Minister for some insight-----

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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There is no point of order once-----

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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-----but I did not get any answer on why he refuses to meet residents in respect of the Irish Glass Bottle site.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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-----the format of the debate is agreed by the House.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I am sorry.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The format of the debate agreed by the House today was that once the proposer of the debate finishes, that is the conclusion of the debate.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Well, maybe next time the Minister can give some insight into why he will not meet the residents in Ringsend.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome to the House, and I am reading this as it is written in the note, "and say hello to my better half, Conor Cosgrove". By the way, that is Senator Cosgrove's better half and not my better half. I also welcome his friend, Brian Kinsella, both up today from Sligo. I thank them for being here.

Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
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My husband is not from Sligo. He is from Cavan.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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We are also joined by guests of Deputy Malcolm Byrne from the Croghan Athletics Club parkrun group. They are most welcome. I know the Deputy has done something like 50 marathons or something like that.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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When is it proposed to meet again?

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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At 9.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed. I remind everyone that it is Senator Joe Conway’s birthday, and Senator Cathal Byrne’s too. Happy birthday.