I must now deal with a deferred division relating to the ministerial amendment to the motion regarding renters. On Tuesday, 5 December 2023, on the question, "That the amendment be made", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Renters: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on Tuesday, 5 December 2023:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— Fine Gael have been in Government for 12 years;
— Fianna Fáil have been propping them up for seven years;
— during that time the housing crisis has gone from bad to worse;
— rents are at an all-time high and rising; and
— the Government have missed the social and affordable housing targets three years in a row;
notes with extreme concern that:
— standardised average new rents in Dublin have increased by €4,716 and State-wide by €3,816 since this Government was formed;
— the latest Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) Q2 2023 Rent Index Report showed new rents increasing by 11.6 per cent, the highest annual increase since RTB records started in 2007, while rents for existing tenants rose by five per cent State-wide;
— in Dublin the increase is even more dramatic in financial terms, while rents are up 10 per cent on Q2 last year that amounts to an annual increase of €2,916; and
— twenty counties had rental inflation of over 10 per cent with many in the high teens; and
calls on the Government to:
— immediately introduce an emergency three-year ban on rent increases for existing and new tenancies; and
— put a full month's rent back in every private renter's pocket and increase supply of affordable properties to rent and buy.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes:
— that the Government is fully committed to ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable high-quality rental accommodation through continued significant capital investment, including Cost Rental, to accelerate delivery of housing for the private and social rental sectors and stabilising rents;
— that building on the enhanced tenancy protections introduced by this Government, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is close to concluding a comprehensive review of the private rental sector, which takes into account the significant regulatory changes over the past several years;
— the extension of Rent Pressure Zones, which now cover 77 per cent of the country and where rent increases are capped at two per cent per annum;
— the increase in the rent tax credit to €750 in Budget 2024, and the introduction of other legislative requirements to support renters;
— that the Government has approved the general scheme of the Residential Tenancies (Right to Purchase) Bill for priority drafting and publication during this Oireachtas session, to legislate for a 'right to purchase' where their landlord intends to sell the dwelling;
— the increase in the thresholds for access to Cost Rental homes, which was increased from €53k net to €66k net in Dublin and €59k outside Dublin in July 2023;
— that interventions such as the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ Scheme (CRTiS) are making a real impact in providing secure, long-term homes and preventing homelessness, and to date in 2023 over 1,300 social housing acquisitions have been completed with a further 1,260 at various stages of the assessment and conveyance process; and
— the CRTiS was introduced on 1st April, 2023 for tenants in private rental homes who are not eligible for social housing supports but who are at risk of homelessness, and the Housing Agency is engaging with more than 130 landlords with a view to the purchase of those homes;
acknowledges that increased supply is key to meeting demand and moderating the pent-up pressures in the private rental sector and welcomes that:
— Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland is successfully supporting a significantly increased supply of new homes, with almost 30,000 new homes built in 2022, an increase of 45 per cent on 2021 and 5,250 homes or 21 per cent higher than the Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland target of 24,600;
— the data on the number of residential construction starts show 26,547 homes have been commenced in the first ten months of 2023; and this is a 16.6 per cent increase on the same period last year (22,760); and
— more than 22,400 homes have been built to end-September 2023, with the Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland targets, or 29,000 and 33,450, expected to be met, if not exceeded, in 2023 and 2024 respectively; and
recognises that considerable progress has been made since the publication of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland (September 2021) including:
— increased social and affordable housing supply, with 10,263 social homes delivered in 2022, representing an 11.9 per cent increase on 2021 figures when 9,169 social homes were provided; and this represents the highest annual output of social homes in decades and the highest level of delivery of new-build social homes since 1975; and
— from a standing start, 1,757 affordable homes delivered in 2022, the first full year of affordable housing delivery in a generation and that a very ambitious programme of affordable housing is now in place; and this momentum is continuing as the pipeline of affordable housing develops further by local authorities, by Approved Housing Bodies and by the Land Development Agency; and
agrees that continued implementation of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland represents the most appropriate response to deal with the housing challenges which Ireland is now facing.".
- (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage).
Amendment put.
The Dáil divided by electronic means.
Considering the importance of this vote for thousands of families facing the increases in rent across the State and to give Deputies who voted with the Government another chance to consider their position, I propose that, under Standing Order 83(3)(b), the vote be taken by other than electronic means.
Amendment again put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 67; Níl, 60; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Cormac Devlin and Hildegarde Naughton; Níl, Deputies Denise Mitchell and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 67; Níl, 59; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.