I again raise the issue of renters, a group of some 300,000 renters across this State which the Taoiseach's Government is failing badly. Ten months ago, his Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage stripped renters of vital Covid-19 protections. Deputy O'Brien's first act as Minister was to pass the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Act 2020. This ended the blanket ban on rent increases, notices to quit and evictions, which had been introduced by his predecessor. This ban, which was necessary on public health grounds, led to the most dramatic drop in people losing their homes in a decade.

In its place, Deputy O'Brien introduced a highly restrictive and unnecessarily cumbersome protection for a small number of renters only. If a renter had lost income due to Covid-19, was on a Covid-19-related payment, in arrears, at risk of losing his or her tenancy and had submitted a written declaration to the Residential Tenancies Board, he or she was protected from rent increase or eviction.

The renter had to meet all five of those onerous tests, however, or else he or she lost all of the protections.

When tenants advocacy organisations such as Threshold and those of us in opposition warned that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien's Bill was too restrictive, we were accused of scaremongering or of playing politics. Figures obtained this week by my colleague, an Teachta Ó Broin, from the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, prove that far from scaremongering or playing politics, Threshold, the advocates and those of us in the Opposition were right. We now know that since last August, almost 4,000 tenants have received 28-day rent arrears warning letters from their landlords and that 1,100 notices to quit have been issued. Yet, only 475 tenants have submitted this written declaration to the Residential Tenancies Board to protect them from eviction. There are 300,000 registered tenancies in this State and the fact is that the so-called protections introduced by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, apply to just 475 of them. That is 475 tenancies out of 300,000. This comes at a time, as the Taoiseach knows, when rents are sky-high and unaffordable for many workers and families. Yet, many have faced rent increases with more increases on the way as landlords roll two years of hikes into one.

It is clear and the evidence demonstrates that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien's highly restrictive protections are not fit for purpose. In light of data, facts and experience, does the Taoiseach accept that the Government's policy has failed renters? Is the Taoiseach willing, as a matter of urgency, to reintroduce the blanket ban on rent increases and evictions for all renters until at least the end of this year?

I do not accept the arguments or assertions put forward by the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is working proactively to protect renters and the legislation he introduced did just that. The 475 people who applied did so because they were vulnerable as a result of Covid-19 and they then received the protections that were provided under the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies Act 2020. Those protections are available up until 12 July. I anticipate that the Minister will extend those protections for tenants and renters through legislation up until January 2022. The rent pressure zone, RPZ, framework is due to expire at the end of 2021 and the Minister will also have proposals on that. A rent arrears notice does not always result in an eviction notice, as the Deputy is well aware.

I would also point out to the Deputy that something else we have to take on board is that the number of landlords registered with the RTB reduced by 3,857 in 2020. That is a significant contraction in the market so there is a balance to be struck. The Minister wants to deal with both the rent increase issue and with ensuring protection for renters. The strong advice to the Minister has been that a blanket ban on rent increases of any duration would be the subject of a legal challenge and would almost certainly deter continued investment in the rental accommodation market.

I read Deputy Ó Broin's comments today. He wants the ban extended for another six months so even he in his commentary accepts that there cannot be a rent freeze forever. The difference between what the Deputy is saying and what the Government's position is seems to be six months. The Government's advice and the Minister's advice have been strongly that a blanket ban on rent increases would be subject to a legal challenge and that it does not in itself grow the rental accommodation market either. We need more accommodation, housing supply and affordable housing.

We are making significant progress on the homelessness front. Some 1,364 adults and their dependents exited emergency accommodation or were prevented from entering into emergency accommodation in the first quarter of 2021. The Housing First programme is providing homeless people with high support needs with 539 active Housing First tenancies nationwide. We know that a notice of termination served does not always result in an eviction. A landlord often serves a notice of termination but does not follow through on it or it can be averted or dealt with. We will do everything we possibly can to protect tenants and a range of supports are available to protect tenants, including the legal supports and legislation the Minister has brought in and will extend for tenants to the beginning of next year. The parallel with that will be a continuing focus on reducing the number of people in family homelessness, which has come down by 31% on the total recorded in April 2020. Since the start of 2021, a total of 324 families in Dublin have exited emergency accommodation. Ultimately, we do not want people falling into any situation where eviction becomes the norm. On a range of policies, we have to do everything we possibly can to prevent evictions and to support those who are renting. That is what we intend to do.

The Taoiseach says he does not claim my assertions but I am not making personal assertions. The figures do not lie so let me repeat them for the Taoiseach. Almost 4,000 rent arrears warning letters have been sent; over 1,000 notices to quit have been served; and just 475 renters have been protected from a total population of 300,000 registered tenancies. The Government's scheme has failed. That is the fact. The Government's job is to protect all renters who are subjected to extortionate rents and huge insecurity at the time of a massive housing emergency that we suffer and endure, not least because of the Taoiseach's previous time in office.

Is the Taoiseach prepared to do what is necessary? Make no mistake but that what is necessary is the reintroduction of the blanket ban on rent increases, which the Government can do. A ban on notices to quit and evictions is also necessary, at least until the end of this year. The Government should give renters some comfort, protection and assurance that their Government acts for them and is not totally consumed by the interests of developers and landlords.

The Deputy has no substance to her policies and she has no solutions to the housing problem. Sinn Féin wants a blanket ban on evictions and a rent freeze for another six months only with no focus at all on what that will do in growing the number of houses that are available to rent. I told the Deputy earlier that 3,857 fewer houses are available for rent in 2020. That is a significant contraction in the market. The Deputy seems to want to push it down even more and make fewer houses available. Sinn Féin does not really have a coherent medium-term housing policy and it seems always to want to exploit the housing issue. We need supply and to build more houses. The cost rental initiative the Minister has introduced, which will provide up to 500 houses this year at 25% below market value, is the type of initiative we need. We need to increase dramatically those numbers.

I thank the Taoiseach; the time is up.

When the Land Development Agency legislation is passed we will have capacity to increase dramatically the supply of cost rental accommodation, along with more affordable housing and serviced sites.

The time is up, please. As I am trying to keep everyone on time, the Taoiseach should please conclude.

I am more into solutions to the housing problem. I am not trying to make it worse, which Sinn Féin is in the proposals it is advocating.