James Browne

We have to drive the delivery and supply of homes. We know that if we do not do this, we will not get the supply that we need. We have had endless modelling over the years. It is always based on a no-change basis. This is going to bring the change that we need to deliver the supply of homes.

I will address a couple of the issues that have been raised. If a tenant involuntarily leaves, the rent cannot be reset under these rules. That is very important. You will always have tenants who will voluntarily leave. The number of HAPs in this country has reduced by about 9,000, give or take. That is as a result of the significant increase in social and affordable housing we have been deliverin…

That is an additional protection.

We have to drive up-----

If the tenant breaches a contract, yes. In relation to the 240,000 tenancies and there being no change, I have said that multiple times, just as I have said multiple times that one child homeless is one child too many. Everything I am doing is about driving up the delivery of homes. The entire rental and housing market is always going to be dynamic, so I am not going to indulge the fantasy, as th…

We know if we do not bring in changes, rents are only going in one direction and that is up. As important is the fact that if we do not bring in change, we are not going to get the supply for those people who are living at home and need somewhere to rent, or as the population increases. Our population has increased by about 810,000 people since 2014. That requires an average of about 250,000 new h…

I answered on the amendments.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." On 27 January 2026, the Government approved the publication of the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. This Bill will amend the current system of rent controls significantly and provide new measures to protect tenants, including a no-fault eviction ban for larger landlords, reduced grounds for smaller landlords and stronge…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 137, 138 and 140 together. I welcome the questions from the Deputies. On 10 June 2025, the Government approved policy measures, including modifications to rent controls to come into effect on 1 March 2026 to boost investment in the supply of homes available for rent, keep existing landlords in the market and protect renters. The changes agreed will also provide si…

Why has rent been going up over the years? It is simple. It is because of a lack of supply. What we are doing now is making the decisions that bring certainty to the market and bring certainty to tenants through security of tenure. For the first time in the history of the State, we are bringing security of tenure. That is normal in almost every other country in Europe. We are doing these things to…

Rents are directly linked to a lack of supply of homes. As usual, what we are not hearing from the Opposition parties at all is any alternative solution. Where are they getting their supply from? One in three euro of capital funding in this State is earmarked for housing and housing delivery. We hear calls from Opposition parties for more funding to go into it, but they will never say what they ar…

-----rents are going to go up and up and up. The only solution the Deputy has put forward is a rent freeze. We know that does not work. We know all the international evidence is there that it does not work. All a rent freeze is a short-term populist move that is no benefit in terms of getting people the homes they need to live in, so we are making the necessary decisions to drive home delivery in …

These lines are on repeat from the Opposition. Deputy Ó Broin keeps coming back in and saying that Sinn Féin has provided alternatives and never repeats them. The reason he never repeats is they were soundly rejected by the people-----

-----in the general election. It is the same old line. He says them again and again, but he actually does not.

My understanding is that there are rules against what the Deputy has just accused me of.

I understand there are rules in the House of what the Deputy has just accused me of. I am asking for a decision.

It is important to point out that Deputy Ó Broin's own leader has consistently and repeatedly made accusations against my own leader in relation to using the very phrase that I am accusing him of making, yet he is happy to come in here and use the same phrase repeatedly. Maybe he get a party policy position on the use of that word in here, which the Taoiseach absolutely denies using. As usual, the…

-----that can be put on an Twitter account and, as he is doing, to throw as much mud as possible in relation to-----

I am answering the accusation.

The constant personalisation that comes from the Opposition is very insightful.

We are going to drive investment in this country to deliver the supply. The Deputy says he wants to drive investment but does not say where it will come from.

The State has maximised the investment. The Deputy has never set out where he would get the additional billions of euro we need to deliver the homes.

We will drive down rents and get the homes the people need-----

-----by driving the supply in terms of delivery.

In relation to Deputy Sheehan’s point-----