Each time I have the opportunity to speak on housing, I say this. I have to start by reiterating that for the common good, I want every Government housing and homelessness policy to be effective. For every person on the housing list, the hidden homeless, every family in a homeless hub and all of those in emergency accommodation, I want the Government's policies to work. The fact is, however, they are not working. Rent controls have not worked. Now we have this Bill, the latest Government intervention in the rental market that will make things worse for renters and allow rents to rise, and ultimately, there will be people who are no longer able to afford their rental accommodation and will also end up in their local authority housing office trying to source emergency accommodation. This is at a time when we are at a record level of homelessness, with almost 17,000 people homeless, including 5,000 children. People had a little bit of protection in rent pressure zones but with the Bill, the Government is taking that protection away. Nobody wants this Bill, except for the big institutional investors to increase their profits. The Government's entire housing and rental policy seems to be in service to those big businesses, not the men, women and children who need affordable rental accommodation throughout this State. Towards the end of last year, in Louth, market rents were on average 6.4% higher in 2025 than in the previous year. The average listed rent is now €1,907 a month, up 52% from the time of the Covid pandemic, but that is averaged across the county. It is much higher in my home town of Drogheda and in the south of the county, as people there bought in the ever-expanding commuter belt. Only last week, a modest three-bedroom terraced home was advertised for an eye-watering €3,250 per month. This Bill will continue to drive those rents up for an average apartment or house in the wee county. We can be damn sure the rise in rent will be not so wee. This is nothing more than a rip-off rental Bill the Government needs to bin now.

Sentiment score: 0.03