Rory Hearne

That is not true.

What is the policy on rents?

140. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage considering the testimony of witnesses before the Oireachtas housing committee stating that the proposed legislation would lead to increases in rents, and no witnesses stating that they believed rents would fall because of the legislation, his plans to ensure that changes to rent pressure zones and rent control l…

We have record homelessness, with over 5,300 children homeless right now and living in emergency accommodation. We have a cost-of-living crisis, with families struggling to afford the basics, many of them renters. Hundreds of thousands of renters in the coming years, who are struggling to pay the basic costs of living, will not be able to afford the new market rent. Does the Minister agree that re…

When are rents going to fall?

They are scared of the Minister and rising rents.

I made it very clear and the Minister knows that we have alternatives. We set out a State fund that would actually increase funding for, not vulture funds but public affordable housing. The Government is completely out of touch and the Minister is too, to be honest. He has been captured. He has gone into the Ministry for housing and been captured by the investor funds. This is how clear it is that…

That is not true. You actually lied in the election. You said you would build 40,000 homes. You never did it.

The headlines were true.

He will not even answer the question.

148. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention had been drawn to his Department’s involvement in the production of the housing-related video published by an organisation (details supplied) prior to speaking to the Oireachtas housing committee on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5063/26]

There was a significant public reaction to the video about moving in with family that was put up late last year. Will the Minister outline what role the Department of housing had in the production of that video and clarify when he first learned about the video?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. The Minister has still not clarified when he first knew of the video. Could he clarify that, please? At the housing committee when I asked him directly about it, he set out four times that the Department of housing did not have any involvement in the video. He repeated that three times. Can the Minister clarify now and make a statement that the Department of housing …

It is about the Oireachtas and the record. The Minister said at the housing committee that the Department was not involved in it.

The Department had no other involvement?

The story in the Irish Examiner was not true?

Sorry, yes. What was reported in the Irish Examiner mentioned senior officials in the Department. I am pushing this because we need to be honest in the Oireachtas record. If what was said at the housing committee is not true, that needs to be corrected. What was happening at the time was the Minister and the Department were trying to get away from a controversy.

Things were said that were not actually accurate. I would like the record to be corrected if the truth is, as the Irish Examiner reported, that the Department knew and senior officials as early as 11 August were aware of the script for the housing video and it was widely circulated among senior officials with comments and suggestions. It is also reported that the Minister's own special adviser had…

The Minister said at the housing committee-----

I said that was Fianna Fáil and not just the Minister.

I take that back. It was Fianna Fáil. However, the Minister is not correcting the record. The Department knew about it.

Is that a reference to the earlier remark?

I withdraw the remark specifically about the Minister misleading the House but not the remark in relation to misleading the people in the general election.

No, I said-----

I will check the Official Report. I believe I said, "misleading the people" and not the House.