This morning, the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, published its quarterly rental index for quarter 2 of 2018, which shows that rents continue to spiral out of control. The average cost of renting a home across the State is now €1,094. This equates to an annual increase of 7.6%. In the greater Dublin area, the situation is even worse in that average rents are now a shocking €1,587, which is an annual increase of 8.8%. In my home county of Donegal, the increase year-on-year is 6.7%. What is equally worrying is a clear emergence of two-tiered rental market. The report shows that while rental costs in existing tenancies increased by 4.9%, which is in excess of the Government's rent cap of 4%, those in new tenancies increased by 8.4%. Sinn Féin warned the Government that landlords would use the refurbishment clause to circumvent the rent pressure zone, RPZ, caps and re-let properties. All of us in this House know that this is happening. In a large number of cases, landlords are using these loopholes to evict tenants and secure increased rents, which is scandalous.

Sinn Féin has been calling for some time now for the RTB to be given additional powers to combat this practice. I acknowledge that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has finally accepted this argument from my colleague, Deputy Eoin Ó Broin. We now need to see that legislation introduced without delay. This morning during Oral Questions, the Minister said that people are paying too much in rent and that this has to be better controlled. On that point, he is correct, but his plan is wrong. It is now essential that the RPZ legislation be reviewed because it is not working. We need a change of policy and this means taking urgent action to help hard-pressed renters. Sinn Féin has proposed the introduction of a three-year emergency rent freeze. Existing tenancies would have their rents frozen at current levels, while new tenancies would be pegged to the RTB average rent index for the their area. Even with a freeze, rents are too high and, for this reason, Sinn Féin believes a tax relief for tenants for a period of three years needs to be introduced. This would give hard-pressed renters one month's rent back annually. This is a proper response to this crisis that has unfolded under the watch of the Government.

We also need to fast-track the legislation to give the RTB more enforcement powers and additional resources. The Minister, Deputy Doherty, must accept that this crisis is out of control and that meaningful and real action is required now. Will the Government introduce the measures I have outlined, including a rent freeze and a tax relief for hard-pressed renters, and will it ensure that a residential tenancies Bill is introduced to this House without delay?

The Deputy is correct that the latest RTB data was published in the past 24 hours. The report on rents paints a much more nuanced picture than the headline. The Government is aware that quarterly trends are volatile and that because rents continue to increase, we face a considerable challenge. People are paying what we consider to be too much rent. Rents need to be controlled. Rents for existing tenants are in line with the RPZs but rents for new tenancies and leases tend to be higher. One in five tenancies is now for longer than four years, which is welcome, and one in four new tenancies agreed in the past number of quarters was for more than 12 months, which shows a sign of stability for tenants. That said, there is still a tremendous way to go. We propose to introduce a rent register that will show comparable rents in areas, which will be published and in place before the end of the year, because we know people renting continue to face a challenge. It is because of the challenges in this area that the Government proposes to introduce a new rent protection measure into the Dáil in the next number of weeks and to pursue measures to provide for longer leases and tenant protections when properties are sold by landlords regardless of the reasons put forward for that sale. Home-sharing by organisations such as Airbnb will be tackled in the next number of weeks. It is because of all of these challenges, of which Government is well aware, that all of these actions will be taken in the next couple of weeks, on top of all of the actions taken over recent years.

Existing rents are not in line with the RPZs. I am sure the Minister has read the report. The increase in rents was 4.9%, which is in excess of the 4% cap. The Minister's reference to the volatility of quarter-on-quarter reports is accurate but the problem is that the Government does not understand the pressures that renters are under at this point. According to the RTB report, rents in the greater Dublin area have increased by €1,536, which is €1,536 more that people renting in the greater Dublin area have to find. Wages are not increasing by that amount. These families are under pressure as a result of the high cost of living, childcare costs, insurance costs and other cost-of-living pressures. We all know that those entering homelessness are, in the main, tenants whose landlords have taken vacant possession and who are no longer able to afford rents in their areas. We need serious proposals. On six occasions, the Government, with Fianna Fáil, voted down rent certainty that would have curtailed these increases, which is the reason landlords are able to seek sky-high rent prices.

Will the Government introduce the measures I have proposed? Rather than continually saying that rents are too high, will it introduce a rent freeze and a tax relief for renters and bring forward the necessary legislation, staff and resources to enable the RTB to properly monitor and police this area?

In case the Deputy missed what I said in my initial response, I will repeat it. It is because the Government recognises the challenges in the market that it proposes to introduce, between now and Christmas, a rent register which will show the average rents street by street, town by town and county by county.

That will not stop rent increases.

It is because of those challenges the Government will introduce new rent protection measures through legislation in the Dáil, giving the RTB increased powers to interact with people on a case-by-case basis; continue to pursue measures that will see people having access to longer leases and thus stability in their home lives in the places they choose to rent; and introduce new measures to tackle the issue of short-term letting in the next number of weeks.