I answered on the amendments.

I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senators very much for the invitation to be with them to discuss Storm Chandra and the extended and severe flooding events that followed in many parts of the country and to outline the whole-of-government response to the storm. I will start off by clearly stating on behalf of the Government that I recognise the very significant and very real impacts the latest storm event had on so many families and businesses and the level of distress that was caused. I am particularly attuned to this…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." On 27 January 2026, the Government approved the publication of the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. This Bill will amend the current system of rent controls significantly and provide new measures to protect tenants, including a no-fault eviction ban for larger landlords, reduced grounds for smaller landlords and stronger security of tenure. It will come into effect for new tenancies from 1 March 2026. We want to provide certainty, clarity…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 137, 138 and 140 together. I welcome the questions from the Deputies. On 10 June 2025, the Government approved policy measures, including modifications to rent controls to come into effect on 1 March 2026 to boost investment in the supply of homes available for rent, keep existing landlords in the market and protect renters. The changes agreed will also provide significantly stronger tenancy protections and are finely balanced between the interests of tenants and the need for furthe…

Why has rent been going up over the years? It is simple. It is because of a lack of supply. What we are doing now is making the decisions that bring certainty to the market and bring certainty to tenants through security of tenure. For the first time in the history of the State, we are bringing security of tenure. That is normal in almost every other country in Europe. We are doing these things to drive the supply. That is what this about. If you do not get more supply, rents are never coming down. Rents are only g…

Rents are directly linked to a lack of supply of homes. As usual, what we are not hearing from the Opposition parties at all is any alternative solution. Where are they getting their supply from? One in three euro of capital funding in this State is earmarked for housing and housing delivery. We hear calls from Opposition parties for more funding to go into it, but they will never say what they are going to cut. Where will they take the capital funding from? Is it from schools, roads or healthcare? That is never sa…

-----rents are going to go up and up and up. The only solution the Deputy has put forward is a rent freeze. We know that does not work. We know all the international evidence is there that it does not work. All a rent freeze is a short-term populist move that is no benefit in terms of getting people the homes they need to live in, so we are making the necessary decisions to drive home delivery in this country.

These lines are on repeat from the Opposition. Deputy Ó Broin keeps coming back in and saying that Sinn Féin has provided alternatives and never repeats them. The reason he never repeats is they were soundly rejected by the people-----

-----in the general election. It is the same old line. He says them again and again, but he actually does not.

My understanding is that there are rules against what the Deputy has just accused me of.

I understand there are rules in the House of what the Deputy has just accused me of. I am asking for a decision.

It is important to point out that Deputy Ó Broin's own leader has consistently and repeatedly made accusations against my own leader in relation to using the very phrase that I am accusing him of making, yet he is happy to come in here and use the same phrase repeatedly. Maybe he get a party policy position on the use of that word in here, which the Taoiseach absolutely denies using. As usual, there are double standards and we have it from the Deputy. The use of that kind of language epitomises the fact that the De…

-----that can be put on an Twitter account and, as he is doing, to throw as much mud as possible in relation to-----

I am answering the accusation.

The constant personalisation that comes from the Opposition is very insightful.

We are going to drive investment in this country to deliver the supply. The Deputy says he wants to drive investment but does not say where it will come from.

The State has maximised the investment. The Deputy has never set out where he would get the additional billions of euro we need to deliver the homes.

We will drive down rents and get the homes the people need-----

-----by driving the supply in terms of delivery.

In relation to Deputy Sheehan’s point-----