Eoin Ó Broin

Except for breach of contract.

It is just a clarification, I am not heckling. Except for breach of contract.

Surely breach of contract is also-----

The rip-off rent hike Bill before us today is without doubt the most profound change to the regulation of the private rental sector in over a decade. Much more significant than that, at the core of this Bill, is nothing short of a vicious financial assault on private renters who are already living in the most expensive and insecure form of housing in the State. The consequence of this legislation …

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this important issue. There is a certain degree of scepticism in my attitude to the Government's new-found interest in critical infrastructure. I have been a Deputy for a decade. I am one of a number of people on this side of the House who have been talking about lack of investment, lack of reform and lack of ambition regarding critical infrastructure …

137. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm if his proposed changes to the rent pressure zone rules will result in the majority of private rental tenants experiencing significant rent increases within a period of four years. [5324/26]

We understand that on Tuesday the Minister intends to bring his rip-off rent hike Bill to Cabinet for approval, a Bill that will sound the death knell effectively, over time, of rent pressure zones, RPZs. This is going to result in ever greater numbers of renters having their rent reset to the market rate. Will the Minister confirm to the House that the overwhelming majority of renters, over a per…

The average length of a tenancy in the private rental sector is three and a half years and 25% of all tenancy registrations in a year are first-time tenancies. Students, particularly those in purpose-built student accommodation, typically rent year to year. The direct consequence of the legislation the Minister is going to bring to Cabinet on Tuesday is that from 1 March, ever greater numbers of r…

The only certainty the Government is going create with this legislation is that hard-pressed renters who are paying rip-off rents are going to have to pay even more. That is the only certainty. There is an alternative. We have set it out over and over again, which is to temporarily ban rent increases, put money back into renters' pockets and deliver the kind of supply that renters need.

Increase investment in social homes and increase investment in genuinely affordable homes. Increase support for the SME builder-developer sector to build homes for working people to buy. The Minister will not do any of those things. Instead, at the behest of the large corporate institutional investors, he is allowing for a market reset and that will do one thing and one thing only. It will mean a …

I repeat them every week.

You are misleading the House and your party lied during the election. Those are the facts.

It is a matter of public record. Fianna Fáil, Deputies Darragh O'Brien, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris. and Paschal Donohoe lied about housing completions during the election.

We have the evidence. It has been proved.

I shall respect the Chair.

The truth is the truth.

And in an honest manner.

The Minister's party lied during the general election campaign.

Sorry, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, but the Minister's party lied during the general election campaign and was-----

He is defending the indefensible: rising rents and Government dishonesty. Well done, Minister.

No. I am criticising the Minister’s policy failures.

Yes, I do. The Minister should debate me on radio at any time and I will explain it to him again.

We have set it out year after year.

He should publish the evidence that it will drive down rents. He has none.

I have no respect for a Minister who is presiding over record homelessness, record rents and a record housing crisis.