Mary Lou McDonald

The so-called rent reform plan the Government announced yesterday is a shambles. The Taoiseach is literally all over the place, confused by his own back-of-the-envelope proposal and unclear as to what he is saying. There is one thing that is clear - the Government's plan will push up rents even further. It is only a question of when renters will be hit. The Government will allow landlords themselv…

Try answering my questions.

That is very ignorant.

The only person who has managed to sow confusion is the Taoiseach, ably assisted by the Minister, Deputy Browne. I am very glad he was listening so attentively to me this morning. I hope he heard my appeal again to him to stop screwing things up. It is almost as if the Taoiseach deliberately set out repeatedly to make a mess of things. Deputy Martin is the Taoiseach, accountable to the House. I ha…

The only certainty is that rents will rise. When the Taoiseach takes to his feet he might answer the questions I asked originally in respect of rolling out protections and what analysis has been done in respect of rents going up.

You are telling untruths, is it?

This is distraction tactics.

Answer the question.

He is not the Taoiseach.

It is true.

Yes, until-----

Until the tenancy ends.

Increase the rent-----

That is inaccurate information.

I am very heartened to see that at least one Member got actual answers to his question. I am sure the fact the question was put by a member of a Government party is not lost on anybody. I have been in contact with Paul Guy, whose father, Audeon Guy, was referenced by the Taoiseach. As he knows, the family have gone public on the shocking abuse their father endured in Beneavin Manor nursing home. …

It did happen.

I extend a céad míle fáilte to Aran and Sophie Byrne who are recently married. They are here with their family - love's young dream in the Dáil. I also welcome the Moylagh Historical Society from the royal county. Fáilte romhaibh ar fad. The Taoiseach repeatedly tells us that fixing housing is his number one priority so people have waited for the big initiative for some idea that he might bring f…

What the Taoiseach is about is screwing renters.

He is about doing it very brazenly and then he wants to try to distract from that fact. He should go ahead and extend the 2% cap across the State. He should do that. We will support him in doing it. I do not think anyone will object to that. However, that does not disguise the actual intent and the effect, in the here and now and in the long term, of what he is about to do. The rent pressure zone…

Yes, they will.

This is the import of the Government's proposal. The disappointing thing is everybody knows rents are extortionate at this point. The job of a responsible Government is to ensure a cut in rents and to ban rent increases.

Instead, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to facilitate the jacking up of rents. It is disgraceful.

Answer the question.

Answer the question.

He has been asked three times.