The Government has lost focus completely and it is allowing itself to be led by the nose by the NGOs and whoever else makes up these nice policies. We all advised the Government not to bring in the recent legislation on private landlords, as if landlords were a dangerous club. There are some horrible landlords and I have no time for the bigger ones especially. The policy in this area is very strange too. I know of cases with regard to Waterford County Council and An Coimisiún Pleanála. In large groups of housing estates, a stipulation was put in that the first owners would have to remain in them and they could not be bought up by REITs and others. The Government laid out the red carpet for them but it did not support its own. Then it laid out the red carpet totally for the Ukrainians and for God knows who else who came from all over the world. We were called all kinds of names when we mentioned it and pointed out the mistake and foolish policy which was unsustainable. To think in Clonmel alone, 40 modular homes were built. I sat down with the OPW and the builders Sisk and the Department's integration team. I was guaranteed these modular homes, which are probably worth €80,000 at best, would be finished for €200,000 and not a penny more. We discussed everything, including site, topography, water and electricity. They have now ended up costing almost €500,000 per unit. In fact, it is €496,000. Nationally they have cost €450,000. This is an absolute travesty and a waste of money. How could any company - it was Sisk in this case - get all 11 sites in the country and get €450,000 per unit? We could build the finest house in Tipperary or any other county for €450,000. Another issue is the problem with the blocks and cement. Instead of making the big companies pay, and I will not name them but we all know who they are, including an international company which I believe has moved its headquarters and funding from the Stock Exchange here and has gone to Holland, a levy was put on every cubic metre of cement. Cement has increased by 30% this year. Oil has caused a lot of this but the Government has increased it by putting on this charge to do repairs. Rogue suppliers and bad supervision allowed this. It is an unbelievable situation. The Government now thinks there is a golden egg in the short-term lets of people who have gone into holiday homes and Airbnb. Farmers beside me did up an old house in a farmyard which they could never rent to anyone long-term because it is in an active living farmyard. A woman in Dundrum in February has the same story. She has been at it for 30 years and the property is in the middle of her farm. The Minister thinks he can force them to give these as local authority rents or for people to rent long term. It is a folly. The Minister thinks he will get back 10,000 or 20,000 of these but he is going to destroy another industry. It grew up as a cottage industry and the Minister is going to wipe it out. All of the Minister's policies seem to be trying to wipe out industries and we are being left with nothing only brus because that is the policy the Minister is bringing in. The parties on the left are clamouring to attack landlords. There are many incidental and accidental landlords who are good people. They educated their children and put them through college from having a second house they were left or inherited in some make, shape or form. They are all being classed as rogues. The RTB is useless and not fair. A bad landlord who does not repair should be brought to book but there are also tenants who wreck a house, destroy a house or do not pay rent. Somebody in my office told me the tenants forgot to pay the rent for the past four months. The RTB would normally come down on their side, or it is slow, feeble and ineffective as with most of the other regulatory bodies. They have a stamp on the wall, big seats in plush offices and board members being paid but they are not effective. They are toothless, useless and fruitless. I wished the Minister well when he took up the role. I thought he would do something pretty good. I asked the Minister to look at something that happened last week. Tipperary County Council passed a motion last Friday evening to knock 52 perfectly strong well-built houses. It is an absolute travesty in this day and age.

Sentiment score: -0.08