The Minister has published legislation that is going to make the most profound changes to the regulation of rents in the private rental sector in over a decade. From March of next year, tens of thousands of renters, progressively, quarter on quarter, are going to lose the meagre protections of the rent pressure zones and over time see their rents reset to market rents. Astonishingly, the Minister's Department conducted no analysis of the impacts of these changes on the rents that renters actually pay. Why did he not conduct that analysis and how can he stand over a Bill when even he does not know the full impact it will have on hard-pressed renters paying rip-off rents?

Following on from a review of the private rental sector published by my Department in July 2024, the Housing Agency was commissioned to undertake a comprehensive review of the current system of rent controls using RPZs. The key focus of the review was to assess the operation of RPZs since their introduction and consider their impact on the market and relevant stakeholders, including the retention of landlords and new investment. It considered whether RPZs should continue without change or be removed, modified or replaced. The review, which was extensive and detailed, also included options and recommendations in relation to potential amendments to rent control.

On 10 June 2025, the Government approved policy measures including modifications to rent controls to come into effect on 1 March 2026 in order to boost investment in the supply of homes available for rent and keep existing landlords in the market. The modifications to rent controls have been informed by the findings of the Housing Agency review. The policy measures announced by the Government also include significant improvements in security of tenure for renters. The Government has provided additional resources to the Residential Tenancies Board to support the efficient regulation of the rental market. Multiple expert reports, including those from the Housing Agency, the Department of Finance, the ESRI, the OECD and the IMF agree that the current RPZ system is a major obstacle to increasing rental supply. These changes are being introduced in order to attract increased investment in the rental market and thereby increase the supply of properties available for renters. My Department has consulted extensively with the Office of the Attorney General in relation to the proposed legislation. On 14 October 2025, the Government approved the general scheme of the residential tenancies (amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025. This legislation is now subject to priority legal drafting and pre-legislative scrutiny is currently under way.

The House should note for the second time tonight that the Minister has studiously avoided the question. What do we know about tenancies? The Residential Tenancies Board tells us that the average length of a tenancy is three and a half years long. In the past 12 months, 70,000 fresh first-time tenancies were created. That is 28% of the total number of private rental tenancies. If those trends continue - trends that have been in train for a number of years - then within four years, the overwhelming majority of renters will be captured by this legislation. Many tens of thousands of them will have their rents reset to market rent at the start and all of them will have the market rent reset at the end of six years. I accept there is a viability problem. I accept there is a lack of investment, particularly in social, cost-rental and affordable for purchase homes. However, renters should not be the ones to pay the bill. What the Minister is proposing, in addition to inadequate and possibly illegal apartment design standards for smaller and darker apartments and huge VAT reductions for developers who are building apartments that are already viable, is to essentially allow landlords to reset the rent to almost double what it is for many tenants. He has not even done an analysis. Why not and why is he making renters pay for viability challenges the Minister and his failing housing policy created in the first place?

When the Deputy was quoting the statistics from the RTB he left out the fact that in the situation that prevailed in the country at the time around rent pressure zones, it was temporary and partial around the country. We have now created a national rent pressure zone with a view to a national rental control situation. Also, the reason I am bringing in these changes is to bring in, for the first time in this State, security of tenure for tenants. That does not exist in this State. Theoretically, there are tenancies with no end of duration but it is too easy to end those tenancies. We are severely restricting how tenancies can be ended by landlords. That is to ensure there is that security of tenure. I believe that you will see far less frequent notices to quit as a result of this security of tenure being brought in for tenants. That is going to be the crucial difference here.

With the greatest of respect, security of tenure is no use if you simply cannot afford the rent. The family homelessness crisis started in 2014, not because landlords were selling but because landlords were hitting tenants with double digit rent increases. Over the space of three to four years, the number of children in homelessness went from 800 to over 3,000. As for the so-called security of tenure measures, the Minister is going to create three different types of security of tenure; for existing tenants in existing tenancies, for new tenancies in existing properties of small landlords and new tenancies in properties of large landlords. That is a level of complexity that will be impossible to understand and virtually impossible to enforce. The only reason he has done this is to try to hide behind that while he guts the rent pressure zones and forces renters to pay levels of rent that are simply unacceptable. The Minister has no idea if notices of termination will increase or decrease. Neither he nor his Department have done any analysis on the impact on rents or security of tenure. Landlords are unhappy. Tenants are unhappy. This will not work and who is going to pay the price? Renters. Because Fianna Fáil does not give a damn about them.

What is crucial is that those who are currently renting and those who are living at home who need somewhere to rent have somewhere to rent. That means increasing supply. That is what-----

Cost-rental supply, social supply, affordable purchase supply.

An increased supply of all tenures, including social, affordable and private houses and apartments.

It is not apartments costing €3,000 per month. Get your head out of the sand.

We have to drive supply. That will in turn bring about the end of homelessness, so we have the properties that people will live in. It will also drive down rents by increasing supply.

Utter nonsense.

We have seen that in the past when the supply increases.

How will apartments for €3,000 per month lower homelessness and lower prices?

That is what is crucial from my perspective, delivering the homes that are needed. While the Deputy has endless criticisms of everything that is being done across here-----

Affordable homes are needed and the Minister is not delivering them.

You have to have solutions as well, Deputy. This is the usual from Sinn Féin. When you are saying something-----

Sit down, you are embarrassing yourself at this stage, really.

The Deputy is the only person embarrassing himself.

Homelessness will increase month on month as a result of these failed policies.

It is the usual tactic from Sinn Féin in the lifetime of this Government. When somebody is saying something and you do not want it heard-----

I do not want to hear it, but I would like an answer to the question that you will not answer, repeatedly, over and over.

-----you talk them down and shout over them. You shout over them because you do not want anybody to hear. It is a really underhanded tactic.

Minister, time is up.

People can see your housing policy failures writ large.

You should respect people's democratic right to speak in this Chamber. I am elected the same as you.

Homeless figures are out on Friday. Are they going to be down? No, they will not.

I am elected the same as you and I have a right to speak.

Deputy Ó Broin, through the Chair please. Minister, time is up.

I apologise.

You have to respect people's right. You do not have to like what I have to say but you should allow me to say it.

We are moving on. Deputy Ó Broin, we are not going to have a conversation across the floor.

I do not like rents and house prices rising and that is your responsibility. That is what I do not like, Minister, not your refusal to answer questions.

Respect the Chair, please.

I apologise.