Renters have been badly let down by the Taoiseach's Government. They are trapped paying sky-high rents and losing hope of ever owning their own homes. Earlier this year, the Government ended the eviction ban, despite all the warnings that this would push households into homelessness. When he lifted the ban, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, promised to introduce some small measures to protect renters. Three months later, we have now been told this has been delayed until at least September. No wonder renters feel abandoned and thrown to the wolves with this type of attitude. In the Dáil this evening, therefore, we are going to debate Sinn Féin's plan to stand up for renters, to put a month's rent back into their pockets, to cut and freeze rents and to provide more public housing through the use of emergency powers. Will the Government back Sinn Féin's plan and ensure renters get the break they need and deserve?

There is much more to the Sinn Féin motion than that. Some of it just involves opposition for the sake of opposition and political criticism, so we will be proposing an amendment to the Sinn Féin motion, which I hope the party will be able to support. This Government has acted to help renters. The rent pressure zones, RPZs, ensure rents, for the vast majority of renters, can only go up by a maximum of 2% annually. We have brought in the rent tax credit, with €500 for single people and €1,000 for a couple. We have also extended notice periods. If a notice to quit is served now, people are given much more time.

The Taoiseach spoke earlier about today's Housing for All update for July. He said it showed that the Government is succeeding in meeting targets. The reality, however, whatever the spin, is that the Government is failing. First, targets are simply too low to meet existing needs. Second, on the starkest metric, we are seeing the figures for homelessness rising, with more than 12,400 people now in emergency accommodation. Today's update announced a public consultation on the private rental sector, but there is nothing concrete in the report to help renters.

Meantime, we heard reports yesterday that there are delays in introducing legislation on the first refusal scheme, a scheme which the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, promised us would be in place by the summer to provide some supports to renters facing homelessness and eviction. Just now, in response to a parliamentary question, the Minister has told me that he has no plans to reinstate the winter eviction ban this winter. Does the Taoiseach accept that the Government is simply failing renters and failing to provide adequate protections for renters? When can he say that the first refusal scheme will be properly in place for renters?

The first refusal law, which is a new right for renters, the right essentially to buy a property from the landlord if you can afford to buy it, is an additional right which will be given to renters. As with any primary legislation, it can take time. This was only announced towards the end of March. As is often the case, it can take a number of months to do primary legislation but we certainly anticipate having it done this year. That will add to the other rights that this Government has given renters-----

This is an emergency.

-----such as the rent pressure zones, where rents go up by less than 2% every year for most renters; the rent tax credit, which is €500 per renter and €1,000 for a couple; tenancies of indefinite duration; and extended notice periods. A great amount has been done with this Government to enhance the right of renters.

I also want to ask the Taoiseach about the safety net he promised renters when the eviction ban was lifted. At the end of March, he told the Dáil that the first refusal scheme would be in place within a few months. The Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, Deputy O’Brien, promised that the first refusal scheme would be in place by now. However, not only is there no legislation, there is not even any draft legislation. The commitment which the Government made to independent valuations has been torn up. Legislation allowing renters to buy their homes at full market prices would be of little use to most renters. This is not a safety net but is threadbare. Will the Taoiseach apologise to renters for his Government having broken the commitments it has made to them?

There are a number of safety nets for renters. The longer notice periods give people more time to find alternative accommodation, and the tenant in situ scheme is very much happening now at scale, where we buy the property off the landlord so that the person can then become a regular social housing tenant. About 2,000 of those are in process at the moment.

What I said, I stand over. I said it would be done in a few months. This was only announced in March. Primary legislation takes time. We have published the detailed proposals today and we will have it legislated for before the end of the year.