Housing rent control bills
Deputy Barry presses for real rent controls and asks when the housing and landlord-tenant reform Bills will be brought forward. The Tánaiste says the housing Bill should be published within three weeks, while work continues on the other Bill.
My questions relate to the housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill and the landlord and tenant law reform Bill. In light of the report published yesterday by the Simon Community which showed that the rent cap increases introduced in July have had a very limited effect, will the aforementioned legislation include real rent controls, which will not just freeze rents but slash them? When will the legislation be brought before the House? Will the Government again bow to the landlord lobby, so strongly represented in Fine Gael, or will it introduce real rent control which is clearly needed by so many people, as shown in yesterday's report?