Joe Flaherty
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“To his credit, the responses are skilfully crafted, and if you were not familiar with the situation, you would say there is nothing wrong here, move along. However, that simply is not true. The entire Lanesborough community is aggrieved and feels that it is now being used as a mere pawn.”
“Patients tell me that, in many cases, they are not given the option of booking the surgery in Lanesborough, but instead are being encouraged to attend the Longford clinic. I would be more than happy if Dr. Booth wants to continue his five-day service in Longford, but it cannot be at the expense of a rural surgery.”
“Regrettably, I have to raise this issue for a second time. It relates to Dr. Booth, who has taken over a GMS contract for two surgeries servicing Lanesborough and the larger Longford town in County Longford.”
“It is a dangerous generalisation the Senator is putting forward and she is forgetting that in the front line of dealing with housing and difficult cases are staff and housing departments across the country. From my experience, housing staff generally think through each case.”
“The consultants at the Rotunda were quickly brought to heel when they were not complying with their contractual obligations. It is critical that we do not allow this situation to continue any longer in Lanesborough. A contract is a contract, as I said. What we are seeing here is a concerted effort to close a rural surgery by stealth.”
“They did not write the legislation, but we need legislation to frame what we are doing. We are, on a daily basis, tackling a crisis. On the front line in that effort are our housing staff. We should commend them at every opportunity rather than throwing out gross generalisations that are deeply hurtful.”
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“It was compounded then when we brought out half-hearted measures a number of weeks ago, when we reduced the cost of green diesel by 3 cent. Virtually every rural TD contacted the Government and said that this was absolutely crazy and would inflame farmers, and it did exactly that. There was no reason to do that. We should have held back on it and introduced the all-encompassing suite of measures that we introduced this week which addressed the issues facing hauliers and farmers. We could have been a lot more successful and we could have taken a lot of the heat out of the market. I must say, and I have said it several times to my party leader, whether he likes it or not, that we delivered a flawed budget in 2026. It was a budget that very simply forgot the people of middle Ireland.”
“Obviously, it has been a hugely difficult weekend for us all but I want to say at the outset how proud I was of the farmers. In the history of farmers, we are unique. Indeed, the National Farmers Union, NFU, predates both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in terms of political parties. Only Sinn Féin predates the NFU. We have seen down through the years how strong a force the farmers are. They are willing to go to jail and have gone to jail in the past. They are a powerful force and a force for good. On a personal level, I am sorry and I apologise to them wholeheartedly that they had to do what they felt they had to do. As a Government, we did not react conclusively or effectively in real time to the situation. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the dial on this issue went back as far as the budget we brought in last year.”
“As the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and every member of the Government have pointed out, this is an initial suite of measures. Indeed, as the Minister of State said, Sinn Féin is very much taking its lead. It cannot do anything for a few months in the North. It has to wait until July to see how we are getting on. We will certainly advise and apprise it on how these measures are doing. When we need additional measures, we will follow suit. I have to take issue with Senator Murphy claiming I was engaging in the stock trade of propaganda. There was no propaganda about the death of Paul Quinn, as Senator Murphy knows well because he was forced to apologise to his mother-----”
“Probably in the most dastardly move of that time, they also announced that the strength of stout and beer was to be reduced by three degrees to save on wheat and barley. At the same time, the farming community, back in the teeth of the Second World War, had to deal with a foot and mouth outbreak. We did not panic then in the face of the challenge, the Fianna Fáil Government, and we certainly will not panic now. We worked with the people and we helped them through those challenges and this time will be no different. Fianna Fáil always delivers for its own people, not for benefit or reward but for the people of Ireland. We did it during the Second World War and we will certainly do it again.”
“During the Second World War, I remind the House that farmers were legally obliged to produce compulsory tillage. Householders were expected to come out and support the harvest. Every household had to manage through the week with a ration book. Every household was expected to till its garden or allotments and produce turf. Incidentally this week back then, a series of new orders and restrictions was announced that included restricting the availability of bread to just one meal in a restaurant. It also suggested that potatoes should be served three times a day in homes. The export of sausages was banned, with a crucial knock-on effect for the price of our pigs. They were also looking at the possible prohibition of private car use. Yet as a country and as a society, we got on with it.”
“Every bone in his body was broken, so much so that his poor mother was unable to wrap his fingers around her rosary beads. I am very conscious that three weeks ago, green diesel cost 96 cent per litre and now it is trading at €1.63. In a few weeks, our farmers and contractors will commence the busy silage season. The agri-sector will surely need further significant support before then, if this war is to continue. Fianna Fáil Governments have faced similar crises and brought this country through them. Some 85 years ago we were severely impacted by the Second World War and indeed many of our sons lost their lives fighting the evils of fascism in what at that point was regarded as the most savage and destructive war of all. That war now pales in comparison to the current actions unfolding in Iran.”
“There was certainly no question of any of their TDs breaking ranks for fear of irking the higher command. Government is not for the faint-hearted. It is not for Sinn Féin. It is about the decisions that have to be taken in the context of the long-term outlook and the threat of inflation and so on. The measures taken to date will be kept under constant review. I am certain that there will be further interventions if and when they are deemed appropriate. A case in point is green diesel, which is used widely in agriculture. Many of the Sinn Féin supporters north of the Border have degrees in washing the green dye out of the diesel and illegally selling it as road diesel. It was certainly a lucrative sideline for them. Many in this House will remember poor Paul Quinn from Cullyhanna, who was ruthlessly beaten to death by one of these gangs.”
“They see global strife and pain as their greatest weapon and they are going to weaponise it ruthlessly. This Government stood full-square behind the people of Ireland during Covid, again during the Ukrainian crisis and again during the cost-of-living crisis. Government is not about soundbites. It is not about popularity. That is probably why it will never suit Sinn Féin. Government is all about taking decisions that protect and support our citizens. Regularly, these decisions are unpopular but invariably, true nationalists and true republicans rally to the national cause and do what has to be done for this country. It was no surprise to us or the wider population that Sinn Féin was the only party to vote against this suite of supports in the Dáil last night.”
“I bought fuel from that station this morning and it was not the price that they had. People have a responsibility. These businesses are employing our children and neighbours. They are providing a very good service to our local community and people need to be more sensible, especially those politicians who are making these scandalous remarks. The Government is under no illusion as to the challenges facing our people and country at this time. The Government has made a measured and calculated intervention to help some of our most challenged citizens and sectors. Is this the full and complete package of supports? No, but it is certainly an initial strike in the context of wider national and global financial challenges. We do not know how long this war will last but we do know that Iran has weaponised the issue of fuel.”
“At the outset, I want to call out many in the general public who continue to propagate this myth that there is price-gouging among filling stations across the country. These filling stations are in many instances the last bastion, the last retail outlet in many of our small towns and villages. Typically, a good filling station will get 6% margin on its fuel and typically will pay €40,000 to €70,000 prepaid before they get their delivery of fuel. These people are price-takers. They are given the price from their wholesaler and that is the price they have to run with. I saw one of these fuel watch group pages this morning with three different pictures of the same filling station in Longford. Each of them had three different prices for that filling station, whether they were modified or whatever I do not know.”
“I concede the requirement for one TD for every 20,000 to 30,000 people is arbitrary. If I thought it could guarantee me getting back into the Dáil, I would agree with whatever proposal they might come up with.”
“It is a great honour when somebody comes to me and asks me to assist them with an issue with their house or an issue with a student grant. Those people, regardless of whether they are an Irish citizen or an EU citizen, are putting their faith and their belief in us as a constitutional country and as a democracy to do right by them. It is a wonderful place that we have arrived at. People continually compare us to America and yet we look at the extremes in America today. Ireland is just 100 years old and we are a bastion of all that is good about democracy and all that is good about a modern society. We can be very proud of that. There is great merit in discussing this proposal but as it stands at the minute, I do not see a better way to determine the number.”
“Those people were broad-minded and looked at Ireland not as a small island on the edge of Europe but as a large country, a proud and determined democracy and a country that is recognised as having sent many people right across the world. We have an onus and responsibility to look out for our peers, especially at a time of war or a time of distress. I take great pride and I recognise the wonderful opportunity that we in this House have been afforded to be public representatives. While I might have political differences with many people in both Houses, I still greatly admire anybody who goes to the effort of being a public representative. This is unquestionably the single greatest job and the single greatest opportunity anybody can have in this country. We should never treat it in any other way.”
“We do not have the luxury of being able to tell people to do that any more because people can be quite flippant and decide to go to another politician for help. I have always operated on the principle that if somebody reaches out to a public representative and asks for help, regardless of whether they can vote or even if they are in the constituency, we are honour bound to do so as representatives of this wonderful House. We have inherited the work and the efforts of the people of 1916 and the subsequent generations. I know we are launching a book tonight on the great Seán Lemass, the man who brought the Irish message right across Europe and was very much at the vanguard of the modern incarnation of the IDA and brought investment to Ireland.”
“The fundamental principle of public representation is that anybody who walks through our door is entitled to the same representation, irrespective of whether they are Irish, an EU citizen, new Irish or are coming through the IPAS. It behoves us to give them the same representation, the same recognition and the same rights and representation as we would afford to our Irish brethren. I would be disappointed if I thought there was anybody either in this House or in the Lower House who decided how they represented people on the basis of whether those people could actually vote for them. An old story was told of Bertie Ahern that if somebody went to him, he would check the register and if they were not on the register, he would tell them to go away and come back when they were on the register.”
“I doubt it. The TDs might have been, but we would not. I listened this morning to Deputy Cathal Crowe discuss this motion with the eminent proposer of the motion. He said that back in the history of time, our parliament was based in Killaloe, County Clare. The Senator would get less mileage travelling down there. That might not be as meritorious for him. As I said, there is merit in this motion. The arbitrary rule of having a representative for every 20,000 or 30,000 people has worked well. Maybe it is not how it should be done and there might be a better way of doing it but it certainly works well. I do not think there is a TD or a Senator in the country who, when meeting somebody walking in the door, decides this person is an Irish national, an EU national, a Ukrainian or somebody coming from an IPAS centre.”
“I can see where the motion is coming from in the context of the change in demographics in the country. We now have intrinsically Irish and what we call "new Irish". This has swelled our population. We are probably heading towards a population of 6 million on the entire island of Ireland. If we go back to 200 years ago, we had a similar population until the Great Famine wiped out large numbers of people and forced many into emigration, largely to America and the UK. While hindsight is often a great thing, although it can be a menace sometimes, if the Great Famine had not happened, what position would we be in now? Would we be heading for a population of 12 million? Where would we be?”
“The Minister of State is welcome back to the Chamber. I welcome the motion. I might not agree with many of its tenets but I agree that it certainly merits a discussion. We have to acknowledge that we are still a relatively young country. We are just 100 years old, plus a couple of years. While it is hard to get everything right, when it comes to democracy and exponents of democracies, we are probably a benchmark for the rest of the world. We do democracy very well. We are a democratic country and have an open Parliament. Even today, Members can reflect on the number of school groups, people and visitors who were able to rock up to the gates of Leinster House, get a tour and meet their public representatives. We remain accessible. That is something we should always guard and look out for.”
“Not every child will go on to play in an all-Ireland final, but it is incumbent on us to ensure, at the very least, that children leave school with an understanding of the Gaelic games association, its history, culture and values, while also having had an opportunity to play hurling, play or Gaelic football, try their hand at rounders or handball and participate in Scór. We have travelled a significant journey in the delivery of physical education in our primary schools. With our leading sports body on the cusp of a seismic integration, we owe it to past generations and also our future children to ensure the games, culture and values of our forefathers are safeguarded.”
“In 2018, UNESCO inscribed hurling and camogie onto the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity, recognising them as 2,000-year-old Irish traditions. This status celebrates the games as vital cultural expressions rather than just sports. Our spoken word and music are already safeguarded within the primary curriculum, and we should show the same regard for our games. The GAA was long linked with the pursuit of Ireland's self-determination. While the modern association is one of inclusion and celebrates all cultures, it is vital that our youngest know the origins of the games that set us, as a nation, apart on the world stage.”
“The Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association are working towards merging into a single organisation by 2027, creating one association to ensure equal treatment for all players. The move is long overdue and will ensure equal access to funding facilities for all sports people, young and old, as many inequalities have evolved over the years. It also presents us with a chance to formally include Gaelic games, the actual games, and the unique history of the organisation as part of our primary schools curriculum. We already have an ad hoc arrangement in place whereby teachers, in many instances outside their regular hours, dedicate themselves to the promotion of the games and also Scór and the spirit of the GAA generally.”
“I ask the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to directly intervene. At a very minimum, he should take the registration function from HSI and hand it back to the Irish Horse Board.”
“Representatives from the HSI had the perfect opportunity, at that agriculture committee on 24 January, to explain the rationale for the new fees for registration but they did not avail of that opportunity and instead rolled out the contentious price increases less than four weeks later, further incensing an angry, disbelieving and frustrated breeding community. At a time when our international athletes are to the fore in every equestrian discipline, the agency we rely on the most for promoting and developing the sector is clearly at odds with the industry. HSI is now out of touch with its owners, riders, breeders and producers. It has succeeded in uniting the equestrian community for all the wrong reasons. I have previously said it is time to stop funding this agency and I will repeat that call here today.”
“He said it shows a lack of understanding of the cost of running horses. He warned that the HSI has no corporate partnerships, engages in no effective lobbying and appears indifferent to other revenue streams. Making everything more expensive is an old-fashioned, amateur way of doing business. Then, we had a sequel earlier this year when the HSI announced increased fees for the registration of foals, of up to €155 online and €190 for paper-based applications. This body has now implemented two substantial price increases for 2026.”
“Horse Sport Ireland was back before the agriculture committee in January. While the issue discussed was primarily the issuing of passports, it failed to address the contentious issue of a new high-performance levy for our top athletes. In the face of outrage from the sector, the sporting body subsequently backed down on its initial €60 charge and instead implemented a new €45 fee. It is hard not to see this move as little more than a money-making exercise from our equine sports body. Arguably the most telling criticism came from Barry O'Connor, owner and leading showjumping supporter, who also sits on the HSI showjumping advisory group as the riders' representative. He said he was disappointed but not surprised and that it is typical of what happens that people who run out of ideas go and levy their clients.”
“In many respects, we are probably chasing the horse after the stable door has been opened. I welcome the conversation on this and the fact that Ireland taking a very proactive role. We will have a key role to play in this space as part of our role in the European Presidency. I see Ireland as being a statesmanlike figure in terms of the issues we face in Ukraine and the Middle East. I would like to see the Presidency being defined by Ireland leading the EU in taking a strong stance on AI and its future development and on international affairs.”
“That is a positive and affirmative good, in that some of our most able and capable digital natives will go on to play a key role in the development of what will be AI mark III, the next generation of AI. The difficulty for us as we deal with IT, social media and the AI world is that the products we see today are ones that were developed five or six years ago. At any given time, Apple has at least two futuristic phone models it has worked on, developed and could unleash on the market today. It wants to get the maximum value out of the iPhone 14 or whatever the current model is, and will then develop the next one. We think this is the cutting edge and the worst AI can get is what we are seeing at the minute, but the reality is that businesses and investors have moved significantly ahead of that.”
“Those who have a shop want people to come into it and if they become addicted to going into it they are quite happy. It is difficult to understand the logic of the case that Meta has made Facebook too addictive. Everybody scrolls on their screens to excess. We have to realise that there has to be a balance. AI will transform a lot of what we do in the world. It will transform many things we do very well. It will help with isolation, healthcare, the delivery of education and many other fields. While we have to be mindful of it and ready to stand up and take issue with the industry when the time is right, we also have to realise the important and key role Ireland has played in the emergence of AI. As a society and country, we will play a pivotal role in the future development of AI.”
“Social media and the online world is viewed as being a big bad wolf, but we also have to realise that we now have a generation which has embraced this, along with AI, and also see the ills and pitfalls of AI. This debate tends to get hysterical and we worry unduly and too much. Sometimes we have to have faith in young people and in the next generation that they can make the right decisions. My colleague spoke about algorithms and the suggestion that companies have to give Governments access to them. It would be more dangerous to give such information to governments than allowing companies to access it. That is an aside. There is a class action under way in the US, where Meta is being taken to court. The nub of the case is that Meta made its product too addictive.”
“We fostered the situation and have completely changed the landscape for young people, and where they go and how they communicate. Like the pupils from St. Louis here today, today's generation are now not only digital natives but are completely immersed in the digital world and see it as a key component of their lives. We have to reflect on what Covid did to many young people in terms of isolation, in particular young people who may have had a small circle of friends, or only one or possibly no friends at all in school. Covid was detrimental. For them, social media and the online world was the only way they were able to continue to communicate with friends.”
“Senator Duffy and I have the same hairstyle. I too welcome the students from St. Louis school in Dundalk. As we listen to the debate, it strikes me that we ought to have students from St. Louis and other schools discussing this very important motion here today. I am particularly happy that we have said we will not ban social media for people aged under 16 in this country. From having three daughters, I have come to realise how important social media is to them. If we reflect on a time when I was growing up, we all went out and played football in a field. If I tell young people about that now they would nearly laugh because they do not do that. We have created a situation whereby we stopped allowing our children to go out and play in the street.”
“Unfortunately, they were recently notified by the national NSPCA that it will no longer be able to accommodate volunteers with additional needs at this time. That is a very disappointing turn of events. There was no input. All they had to do was bring the dogs up to the office and they were taken for a walk. I would like the Minister of State to make contact with the NSPCA. We fund that organisation. We gave it just under €1 million last year and I think we gave it €1.2 million the previous year. At a minimum, if we are funding organisations they need to sign up to the volunteerism charter that runs deep in this society. If the Minister of State could take that up with it, I would appreciate it.”
“I was particularly disappointed about something recently. Many will know there was a rebranding of the ISPCA and DSPCA. They merged recently and are now known as the NSPCA. We have a fantastic Rehab group in Longford town, which operates from Redleaf House. It does fantastic work with a core group of young people. You would not meet a happier group of young people. Every time I meet them I feel invigorated and happy. They do not see my shortcomings as a politician; they see me as a human being, as a person, as a friend and someone who smiles and says "Hello" and that is brilliant. They volunteer at many things including litter picks. One thing were they did boundless volunteering was at the NSPCA national refuge centre in Keenagh, County Longford where they would go out and walk dogs, supported by their care assistants from Redleaf House.”
“He volunteers and he is a stalwart at Longford Town football matches. He never misses one. It is very much his passion. He has raised a young family with his wife and she sees the value of volunteerism for Ray. It is people like that who are really the standout people in this sphere. We probably do not celebrate those people enough and we need to do more. The awards night we had in Longford was very good but these people need recognition nationally. The President is likely to have an event for volunteers but it would not be beyond the bounds that we could have a day for volunteers in Leinster House. It is important. They do an awful lot of work that would otherwise fall back on the arms of the State to carry out. Their efforts should be acknowledged. I should mention the bad with the good.”
“We have the Longford Volunteer Centre where Gerry Smyth is the main man. He is supported by Bronwyn Slevin, Verona Gray and Oleksandra Kurova. They do fantastic work. They held their volunteer awards recently and it was great to see the many people across the county who were honoured, including Pauline Flood, Sadia Butt and Tom Cunningham who is involved in under-age soccer and probably spends more time at that pitch than he does with his wife – that is probably why he is so happy. Any time I go to the pitch he is there anyway. It is fantastic. You see people who have dedicated their lives. When I was preparing for this, I thought of Ray Grehan from Edgeworthstown. Ray is profoundly deaf but no matter what event or social event is on in Longford, Ray is there, larger than life. He is a fantastic big build of a man.”
“I will sound very inadequate now because I cannot quote Muhammad Ali or Churchill. I will venture on as best I can. I am delighted this topic is down for discussion today. The bedrock of this country has been volunteerism down through the years. That spirit of volunteerism is the one thing that sets us apart from every other country. Many people have rightly mentioned the issues with Garda vetting and getting people approved. The flip side of that is when we were not so strict on it, we can look at the sins of our past where many people were violated and many young people in particular were taken advantage of. We have to balance that. Anything we can do to streamline the process and make it easier is very welcome. We have a number of very good success stories in Longford.”
“We saw earlier this year the capital plans for schools over the next two years, and large numbers of schools across the country that were expected to be included in it were omitted. I ask that the Minister for education comes in here and that we seek a review of that national plan that was announced. It was heavily influenced by mandarins within the Department of education and their ideas and what they wanted for education and was not influenced significantly by the Minister herself. It is indeed significant that we have had two Ministers for education within a ten-month period. It is a critical portfolio. We also need to call for a review of that school building development plan.”
“There is a role for local authorities, which are being completely left out of the equation. We need to call it out for what it is, however, and it is a national crisis. I extend my sympathy to all those families who will have empty chairs and empty lives for the rest of their lives. I need to address the debacle that was the special needs assistant, SNA, situation. I commend the Taoiseach and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, who it seemed were very much alone in coming out and trying to address it. We have now, thankfully, found €19 million to shore up the problem. We are very proud of SNAs in Fianna Fáil. We pioneered the concept and since 2020, we have had a 45% increase in the numbers. However, I am deeply troubled that this is the second major announcement the Department of education has botched.”
“Before moving on to the substance of what I want to speak about, I acknowledge what Senator Nelson Murray spoke about, particularly the death of young Mia Lily Keogh O'Keeffe. We could add also the names of Conor Quinn, John Guy, Laura Hoy-Henry, Kathleen Cunningham and Brian Frisby and Grace Elliott. At the weekend, we lost no fewer than seven lives on Irish roads on an all-Ireland basis. That is seven lives too many. We are past the point where we do not declare what is happening on our roads a national crisis at this stage. We are tinkering with it when we look at the Road Safety Authority, RSA, and how we deal with it. There is an onus on and opportunity for this House to move and say exactly what we have. We have a crisis on our roads. It is not being addressed.”
“That is the equivalent of rebuilding Cork, Limerick and Galway. The last Labour Party Minister for housing was Deputy Alan Kelly, probably the best leader of that party which unceremoniously dumped him, and he delivered 75 social houses in 2015.”
“No, the Senator behind Senator Tully. Sinn Féin does not like when houses are being built and it has done everything possible to stop building. Senator Cosgrove referenced Labour Party Ministers' time in housing. In the last ten years, we have built 260,000 houses in this country.”
“I have to take particular issue with the Senator who is not happy with apartment building, which has seen a 33% increase. That they are not being built in Cavan is now the problem. When they are being built, Sinn Féin does not like to see them.”
“It is the glass bottle site. My apologies. It is an ambitious site with 3,000 units and Senator Andrews bemoaned the fact that more than 500 of them will be affordable housing and 300 of them will be social housing. If Sinn Féin had not objected to 12,000 houses in Dublin over five years, imagine how many more social and affordable housing units we could have had. Equally, many Senators extolled the virtues of student accommodation and berated the Government for not delivering more social housing. Yet, I see that Sinn Féin's iconic party leader, in tandem with Deputy Marie Sherlock, has objected to a student accommodation development in Cabra. Sinn Féin Senators cited several examples earlier. If they could speak to that-----”
“We have brought more than 3,000 homes back into the stock, as a result of the advent of the croí cónaithe housing scheme. That has been further adapted to include over-the-shop units. This will be particularly attractive in Dublin, where a large problem remains. There is a certain irony in the Sinn Féin Senator speaking glowingly of the bottle bank site.”
“It is almost as if the Opposition come through an evangelical door on the far side of the Chamber because what they do outside and what they say inside the Chamber are completely different. In response to Senator Higgins, we now have the most regulated construction market, arguably, in the world. Since 2019, the standards of construction in Ireland have been beyond reproach. Certainly, there were mistakes made in the past in terms of apartment defects but solid steps and legislation put in place by the Government have ensured that is now the case. No government in Europe has taken such a sustained and unrelenting approach to trying to address the housing challenge as the current Government. There has been a suite of measures. Several Senators mentioned vacancy.”
“Sorry, before the Chair calls the Minister of State, I wish to point out that Opposition Members have spoken for an hour and a half without addressing one amendment. They have wasted an hour and a half. I still ask for a Bill not to-----”
“It is very timely and offers great support for the rental market. We appreciate the challenges this market faces but it will also be critical in attracting new investment into this critical market. Our most vociferous critic is, of course, Sinn Féin, which tells us that it will build left, right and centre. However, if we are looking for a timely example of what Sinn Féin can build, we only have to look at 2023 in Northern Ireland, a place where it does have an input into power. It built 5,380 houses in 2023. It was a low point - the lowest point in housebuilding and house delivery in Northern Ireland in 60 years. I will leave it on that note. This is the party that is going to turn around housing when it could only build under 6,000 houses in 2023 at a time countries across Europe were in the midst of a building boom.”
“This measure will help us to significantly increase the number of rental properties available. Some people may indeed benefit from the current system and naturally be resistant to change but for most people, the current system is simply not working for renters or potential new landlords. Doing nothing is simply not an option and that was made clear by the Housing Agency report. Changes need to be made to provide for a national rent control to replace RPZ, tenants need to be protected and the sector needs certainty. The changes the Government is proposing today will provide significantly stronger protections for tenants and are finally balanced between the interests of tenants and the need for future private investment in the private market. I am more than happy to see this legislation before the House.”
“We also want to grow the supply of rental homes available, attract more landlords and retain existing landlords in the market. Providing the policy conditions for a sustained increase in supply is essential because it will help ease price pressures across the rental market and will widen the pool of available rental properties. These new measures provide for a simplified national rent control system that will apply to all tenancies. Landlords will be able to reset rents to market rate between tenancies, a change that is viewed as critical to retaining existing landlords and attracting new investment into this critical sector. Rent increases in new apartments will be solely linked to inflation to provide certainty and clarity and encourage investment.”
“Many people of a certain vintage will still remember that, which is why they feel confident that Fianna Fáil will be the party that will turn the tide on this housing crisis. This Bill will significantly restrict no-fault evictions. These changes will further enhance the current provision of tenancies of unlimited duration with the introduction of rolling tenancies of a minimum duration of six years. Tenants in Ireland will soon have the most robust set of protections they have ever had. Tenants entering into a tenancy with larger landlords from 1 March 2026 will no longer face no-fault evictions while tenants entering into a tenancy with smaller landlords, that is, landlords with three or fewer tenancies, will also benefit from substantially improved tenancy protections.”