The Minister, Deputy Coveney, is due to publish his rent strategy paper shortly. As the Tánaiste knows, the Residential Tenancies Board published its latest index this morning, which reveals that the cost of renting a home is continuing to climb. The board's director has described the rental market as still volatile, which is probably gentle language. Those working with the homeless and in housing distress have called for legislation to deal with the issue of runaway rents and rent uncertainty.

Later, a Sinn Féin Bill, which was cosigned by Independents 4 Change, the Labour Party, the Anti-Austerity Alliance People Before Profit, the Social Democrats and the Green Party will be voted down by the coalition Government of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. This will be the third occasion on which they together will vote down protections for tenants to their shame. Will the Tánaiste give us a commitment that the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government will include rent certainty and security of tenure in his long-awaited rental strategy, which is due to be published shortly?

I will ask the Minister to respond.

We have given a commitment to launch a new rent strategy before the end of the year. The Deputy's party has been part of the consultation process in putting that together. The party made a comprehensive submission to the process, as did other parties. I have said consistently each time Sinn Féin has brought forward the same Bill - it is the third time we will vote on it later - that I do not see it has a balanced solution to the problems we face, which are primarily about a deficit in supply of affordable, social and private rented housing. We are trying as a Government, in response to the challenges many people face in a pressurised rental market, to bring forward a balanced series of proposals. Some will be about protecting tenants in pressurised situations.

Rent certainty.

As regards the RTB report and figures published earlier, they show-----

No, what about rent certainty?

We cannot have a debate.

I will answer that. The figures show a slowdown in the pace of rent acceleration.

Rents are going up as a result of the Minister's inaction.

The pace is still too high and I have said we are looking to address the issues that have been raised in the debates on rent certainty to date in a balanced approach to a rental strategy and the Deputies will see that in approximately ten days.