Mary Lou McDonald
Dublin Central · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Now he watches as Paudie, his other son, aged 16, deteriorates with the same disease. He says Paudie does not have weeks to wait. He says, "I can't lose him [too]. He is all I have left." That is what is at stake here. This is urgent. Caithfidh an Rialtas an rud ceart a dhéanamh dóibh siúd a bhfuil Friedreich's ataxia orthu.”
“We know that both scramblers and e-scooters are being used by gangs to distribute drugs, to openly and actively intimidate, and to evade the gardaí and, yet, we heard the Garda Commissioner say that there would be no chance of pursuit training until next year because of the EU Presidency. I found that really shocking.”
“Their hopes were very high that the HSE drugs committee would finally approve Skyclarys, but those hopes were to be dashed. The committee decided against approving the drug. Instead, it referred it to a rare disease review group. In other words, one committee passing the buck to another committee.”
“This cruel condition moves relentlessly, ravaging their bodies and their lives, yet the system stands still, putting up obstacle after obstacle, forcing them to wait and wait as time slips by. This drug was approved by the EU Commission back in 2024. Two years on, it is available in France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Czechia.”
“So we are clear, it is not that all of this is frustrating for those living with Friedreich's ataxia; it is actually terrifying for them. I met Emily three or four weeks ago and I was speaking to her again on Tuesday. Even in that short time span, she told me that her swallow and speech had disimproved. We are on the clock here.”
“There is someone the Tánaiste knows very well in the Public Gallery. She is the unstoppable and heroic Cara Darmody. Cara has just completed her third 50-hour protest outside the Dáil, calling for real action for children and young people waiting for an assessment of need.”
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“Cad a bheidh mar tháille coláiste acu i mí Mheán Fómhair? An mbeidh costas €2,000 nó €3,000 air? The Minister needs to be upfront with students and their families. Dancing on the head of a pin, dodging and refusing to give a straight answer is, frankly, not acceptable. I will again ask the straightforward question and I would like an answer, please. When students are paying their fees for the 2025-26 academic year, will the cost be €2,000 or €3,000?”
“The Government is making the choice to hike student fees at a time when working people and families are under pressure with soaring prices, hit left, right and centre with increases in the cost of food, energy bills, childcare, petrol, diesel and, as the Government well knows, rent. Prices are through the roof, yet now the Government wants to add a €1,000 hike in college fees into the mix. That is the flippant and casual attitude of a Government that has no problem reinstating big pay packages for top-brass executives at bailed-out banks or doling out cushy pay increases for its record number of Ministers of State, but pleads the poor mouth when it comes to students and their families. It is a tale as old as time when it comes to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Caithfidh an Rialtas a bheith ionraic le mic léinn agus lena dteaghlaigh.”
“He talked about budgeting processes instead of being upfront about the bills students and their parents would face in a few weeks. He was clear on one thing, namely, that there would be no cost-of-living package. Obviously, the fees are going up. The Tánaiste, Simon Harris, could not have been more cavalier. He said that if he was the parent of a child going to college today, he would do what happened last year, the year before and the year before that. He would pay in instalments and see where the budget brought us to. How out of touch can you get? We are not talking about a few quid here. We are talking about €1,000 per student. That is a lot of money for families. Parents cannot take a wait-and-see approach. They and students need to know now what they will be paying.”
“She likened it to a second mortgage, so this mother could not believe her ears when the Minister, Deputy Lawless, announced that the Government would hike up student fees by €1,000. She asked where in the name of God did the Government think she and her husband would find an extra €2,000. Thousands of students and their parents are in the same position with the worry, stress and uncertainty of having to come up with that money. Yesterday, my colleague An Teachta Pearse Doherty twice asked the Minister a very simple question about what students and their families would be asked to pay. Will it be €2,000 or €3,000? Twice, the Minister refused to answer. When asked by reporters yesterday whether a fee hike was coming, Micheál Martin was dismissive.”
“Before I begin, I want to say how very sorry I am to hear of the death of Brother Kevin Crowley. I offer condolences to everybody who loved him. Brother Kevin's work at the Capuchin Day Centre is the stuff of legend. He really was a champion for the poor and for everyone who fell on hard times, without judgment and without exception. He lived for others and he absolutely changed lives. We will all feel his loss very greatly. Ireland has lost a great son. Indeed, his beloved Cork has lost a true legend. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Yesterday, I was contacted by a mother at her wits' end. She has two daughters in college. She told me that she and her husband were just about able to cover the costs of that. She talked about the pressure they were under to pay for the accommodation.”
“Nowhere else in the world, in no other country that has fought for its independence, would there be a government so determined to desecrate its hallowed ground. I ask that a stop is put to this cultural and social vandalism.”
“Yesterday, Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil, Micheál Martin, unveiled the Government's intention to convert the GPO for the purposes of retail units and office accommodation. This is the Government's shameful plan for the most iconic site of Ireland's struggle for freedom. This is the building outside which Pádraig Pearse in Easter 1916 read aloud the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. This is the building inside of which James Connolly led brave volunteers to fight for Irish Independence. Dublin is the city that fought the British Empire. The Irish revolution broke the most powerful empire on earth at the time, and the GPO was at the epicentre of that rebellion. Our patriots took on the British colonisers and beat them.”
“The lack of standardisation is undesirable, as is the lack of wraparound services. I do not want the Minister to deliver just more of the same. We need a real step change if we are to achieve zero tolerance.”
“I thank the Minister. Let me acknowledge the actions that have been taken by Government and the commitment the Minister has made here to the House in respect of Jennie's law and further reform. That is welcome but it is not enough. The evidence on the ground reflects the reality that violence against women and their children is not taken with the seriousness it deserves. Those are the facts on the ground. Women feel unsafe. Women in very dangerous circumstances find it difficult to leave and difficult to access the supports they require. I said to the Minister that we have had 15 years of strategy. What we need now is a step change in delivery and resourcing. Cuan, the statutory agency, is slow. The provision of refuge spaces is slow.”
“Where is the step change from Government that will actually deliver to ensure zero tolerance and that women and children are safe?”
“What message does this send to women fighting to survive? After 15 years of strategy, the Government is still talking about basic training initiatives for front-line responders. Where is the urgency? None of this is good enough. Women faced with violence and abuse deserve far more. Léiríonn tuarascáil scannalach de chuid Women's Aid inniu go bhfuil eipidéim ag dul in olcas maidir le foréigin baile agus go bhfuil géarghá le gníomh láidir ón Rialtas. In my constituency, the community is not waiting. Women have come together to campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women in all places where we live our lives. We want every commercial, sporting and community space to be a zero-tolerance space. After 15 years of Government strategy on domestic violence, women are now looking for vision and action that will actually make a difference.”
“Support services remain underfunded and overstretched and Government is failing to meet legal obligations in respect of refuge spaces. The Government is also failing to ensure refuges provide the vital wraparound services that women and children need. I am also mindful that refuges are not the ultimate answer. They are a very necessary, but temporary, protection and not a long-term solution. The needs of women fleeing domestic violence have to be hardwired into the response to the housing crisis. The question has to be asked: why is it that it is the victim who is forced to leave her home but the perpetrator remains undisturbed?”
“After 15 years of Government strategy on domestic violence, where are we? We still do not have a women's refuge in every county; we have a judicial system that does not work for victims; inconsistent, even lenient, sentences for perpetrators; victims looking to take out barring orders against their abuser yet unable to secure legal representation; and 44% of victims reporting that they found the gardaí unhelpful in a domestic violence situation. We still do not have a register of domestic abusers to protect women from repeat offenders. That is the aim of legislation named in honour of Jennie Poole. Jennie was stabbed to death by her abuser in 2021, a man with a history of violence against women. She did not know that; neither did her family. Jennie was 24.”
“Domestic violence is at epidemic levels. Women's Aid has published its annual report and it makes for very grim reading. Last year, it received the highest number of domestic abuse complaints in its 50-year history. All forms of abuse against women have increased. Physical abuse is up 22%, sexual abuse by 30%, emotional abuse up 15% and economic abuse up 5%. One third of women who reached out to help were subjected to abuse by an ex-partner. The relationship may end but the abuse does not. All the statistics are going in the wrong direction and Women's Aid says this is only the tip of the iceberg. Behind these statistics are real women and their children; real lives shattered. The report reflects that Government must do a far better job to achieve zero tolerance of violence against women.”
“Those barriers and the partitionist mindset that created them will not fall of their own accord. We must dismantle them piece by piece. The President of Ireland is a President for all the people of Ireland. November's election must be the last presidential election that excludes citizens in the North and those living abroad, who so deeply love this country.”
“I welcome that the Tánaiste has recently indicated that he is supportive of the principle and his further commitment to engage with Government colleagues, including the Taoiseach, on this matter. Can the Minister of State tell the Dáil if those engagements have happened and what was the substance of them? Delay is no longer acceptable. It was never acceptable. What we need now, finally, is a clear timeline from the Government and a date for the holding of the referendum. Caithfear cead a thabhairt do shaoránaigh na hÉireann ó Thuaidh, agus iad siúd atá ina gcónaí thar lear, vóta a chaitheamh dá gcéad saoránach, dá nUachtarán. Caithfidh an Rialtas dáta a shocrú do reifreann. I look forward to the day when partition is ended and Ireland is united, when all Irish citizens at home and abroad are afforded their full democratic rights.”
“In 2014, our legislation providing for the extension of presidential voting rights passed Second Stage in the Dáil. That was 11 years ago - delay. A referendum had been set for May 2019 but it was postponed by the Government. That was six years ago - delay. For more than a decade, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have promised to extend presidential voting rights but nothing has happened. The commitment has even been dropped from the current programme for Government. This Government inertia cannot be allowed to continue. In May the Northern Assembly historically voted to support the extension of presidential voting rights to citizens in the North. That was a powerful democratic message, one which reaffirms the principle of equality enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement. The Government must now act on this positive momentum.”
“You can even win the election and become President of Ireland but because you are from Belfast, as was President Mary McAleese, you are barred from voting for yourself. Citizens from all corners of Ireland who emigrated, many from generations who left due to economic turmoil in search of work, and young people today forced out because of the housing crisis love their country. They have a stake in its future. However, they too are denied their vote for President. It is this democratic exclusion that our Bill seeks to end by implementing the 2013 recommendation of the constitutional convention, a recommendation which states that citizens resident outside the State should have the right to vote in presidential elections. That was 12 years ago - delay.”
“Every seven years, when the presidential election rolls around, Irish citizens from the North and those living overseas are told by the political establishment that they are less Irish, forced to accept second-class status, alienated from the nation to which they belong. The Sam Maguire currently resides in Armagh, yet the players who proudly lifted that historic cup last July in Croke Park, and indeed the supporters who cheered them on, will not be permitted to vote in November. You can be a champion of all Ireland yet be prevented from voting for the President of Ireland. You can also be a candidate for the Office of President but if you reside in Derry, as did Martin McGuinness, you are not allowed a vote.”
“The President of Ireland is President for all the people of Ireland. The Office of Uachtarán na hÉireann embodies the shared values, hopes and vision of our citizens, not just here in this State but in the North and indeed across the world. The President is President not just for the Twenty-six Counties but for the entire Irish nation, regardless of the separation imposed upon us by partition or by the scourges of famine, oppression and economic hardship that scattered generations to the four corners of the globe. It is a matter of some injustice and a violation of democracy that Irish citizens in the Six Counties and those living abroad are denied the right to vote for their Uachtarán.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the 1998 Good Friday Agreement recognises the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves, and be accepted as, Irish or British, or both; and — the Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution - Amending the Constitution to give citizens resident outside the State the right to vote in Presidential elections at Irish embassies, or otherwise, published in November 2013, recommended that citizens resident outside the State should have the right to vote in Presidential elections; further notes that: — the Northern Ireland Assembly recently passed a motion to support extending the right to vote in Presidential elections to all Irish citizens resident on the island of Ireland; and — the Thirty-Fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Presidential Voting) Bill 2014, passed second stage in the Dáil on 11th March, 2014, and is currently on the Dáil Business Digital Order Paper Website awaiting the Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage to schedule a time to allow it to progress at the Committee Stage; and calls on the Government to: — implement the recommendations of the Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution, and to extend voting rights in Presidential elections to all Irish citizens on the island of Ireland; and — progress proposals that would extend the right to vote in Presidential elections to the diaspora.”
“Tairgim: Go gcuirfear an Bille faoi bhráid an Roghchoiste um Thithíocht, Rialtas Áitiúil agus Oidhreacht de réir Bhuan-ordú 187. I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage pursuant to Standing Order 187.”
“Last week, the Government brought forward a plan, the net effect of which will be to cause rents to rise across the board. One particular group who will be affected by this are students. Having said initially the Government would have their backs, it is now clear it does not have their backs because those renting in the private sector will suffer, just like others, as landlords can seek market-rate rents. Now it has this plan for State-backed designated student accommodation. It seems it intends to pack students in like sardines in a can, with shared bedrooms, shared bathrooms, communal kitchens and so on and so forth. It will be lessor accommodation and still very high rents. What does the Government have against students? Why is it determined to put them and their families on the hook to be ripped off?”
“I would like the Taoiseach to be clear. What does he propose to do now in respect of soaring costs and prices that are causing real pressure for families across the country?”
“Some 70% of people are concerned about food prices. That is what I am raising with the Taoiseach. I gave him some examples earlier; let me give him some more CSO data. Over five years, the price of sugar has gone up by 54%; fillets of cod, 55%; pork sausages, 21%; lamb, 48%; and spaghetti, 46%. This is the reality people face every week when they go to the supermarket to do their shop. People tell us the kind of pressure that is putting on them and they rightly expect that the Government will intervene. I ask quite simply, in respect of people's grocery bills, their weekly shop, what does the Government propose to do? Was it just bluster or was it just performative two years ago when the Minister of State summoned in the big supermarket chains and told them what was what? Nothing changed. People are still to the pin of their collar.”
“How on earth is it that he refuses to consider any cost-of-living supports when people are under such pressure just to make ends meet?”
“It seems the Government's latest plan is to do absolutely nothing, to stick its head in the sand and allow people to be ripped off week in and week out. So out of touch is the Taoiseach's Government that it digs in and refuses to bring forward supports to help hard-pressed households deal with these out-of-control prices. Its message to workers and families under enormous pressure is that they are on their own. Tá praghsanna bia tar éis ardú go hard na spéire. Tá imní ar theaghlaigh gach seachtain nuair a théann siad chun siopadóireachta. Caithfidh an Rialtas a ghníomhú chun daoine a chosaint ó na costais ollmhóra seo. Was it all just bull and bluster when the Government called in the big supermarket chains two years ago? Will the Taoiseach do anything at all to tackle soaring food prices?”
“In May 2023, the Taoiseach's colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Neale Richmond, told the public that he had this situation under control. He puffed out his chest, called in the big supermarket chains and declared that they had just six weeks to get prices down. That was 110 weeks ago. Clearly the Minister of State failed to exert any real pressure on those retailers because he was duly and unceremoniously ignored and things have only gotten worse for customers at the checkouts. That was it. That single limp intervention was the entirety of the Government's effort to tackle runaway food prices. The Government could not get the job done so it just walked away and left households to feel the pain.”
“Let us take a look at some of the basics. According to the CSO, in the past year alone, a pound of butter has gone up €1, a kilo of Irish cheddar cheese has gone up 57 cent and 2 l of milk has gone up 27 cent. Writing in The Irish Times last week, Conor Pope found that, according to figures provided to "Pricewatch", a kilo of chicken that cost €4.99 in 2022 now costs €11. That is just crazy. Many households are paying €3,000 a year more in the supermarket than they were in 2021. It is little wonder that families are finding it harder and harder to put food on the table and, in some cases, are cutting back on basics. People now feel serious pressure and anxiety as they push their trolleys to the checkout.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh na Little Blue Heroes. We are in very safe hands with outstanding people like them. I thank them for being here. Households continue to be hammered left, right and centre by soaring prices with no let-up. With extortionate rent, big electricity and gas bills, high fuel prices, unaffordable childcare and runaway insurance premiums, prices are out of control. Workers and families are squeezed and forced to live week to week. They ask themselves when all of this will stop because they cannot keep up. Nowhere is all of this clearer than when it comes to the weekly shop. A report published today by PwC found that 70% of Irish customers are extremely worried about the cost of food. This is just the latest in a series of reports confirming what people already know, which is that food prices are through the roof.”
“How does the Taoiseach defend the Government's policy to students and their families, who face into extortionate rents and all of that pressure?”
“Most students rent their accommodation in the private sector. Every autumn they struggle to find accommodation. Those who are lucky enough to do so pay extortionate rents. Others, who are not so lucky, face very long commutes. The consequences on their lives for their studies are very serious. In worst case scenarios, students have had to defer their course or have dropped out of their studies because of this financial pressure. Rather than supporting students, what the Government proposes to do is to make life even more difficult for them - to force rents up even further. We heard mixed messages from the Government last week. It was going to help students and then it was not. Now, we know it will not.”
“I have made the point on the corporate takeover of care and the Government has facilitated that. HIQA cannot investigate individual complaints.”
“The Taoiseach is not a commentator on these matters. He is after giving me a whole spiel there that told me precisely nothing, with all due respect. A total of 198 complaints were made against a nursing home with not a cent of financial penalty. There were no consequences until RTÉ showed up. This tells us the system is not working. It is not sufficient for the Taoiseach to take to his feet and offer tea and sympathy. We all know how difficult it is for anybody to make a decision to place a loved one in a nursing home and how difficult it is for the person themselves to lose that sense of autonomy that comes with all of that. The Taoiseach should know also there are people throughout the State terrified they would ever end up in a nursing home. More families are worried sick about the treatment of their loved ones in these facilities.”
“When will the Taoiseach listen to the calls of families and campaigners? When will HIQA have the powers it needs? When will the Taoiseach bring forward robust safeguarding and mandatory reporting legislation and ensure that our elderly citizens are safe and respected?”
“This abuse and neglect has happened with the corporate takeover of nursing homes and care. Twenty years ago, 30% of homes were in private hands. Today, that stands at 80%. The State walks away from its responsibilities and the profit of wealthy companies is put above the care and dignity of the very people who built this country. Is toradh é an scannal seo maidir le drochíde agus neamhaird a léiríodh do sheandhaoine a bhí ina gcónaí i dtithe altranais ar theip an Rialtais gníomhú. Teastaíonn reachtaíocht láidir a chosnóidh daoine fásta go práinneach. The Taoiseach may well seek to distance the Government from this scandal, but the fact is that the neglect and abuse and weak regulation and oversight are a direct result of Government policy, a policy to allow big corporates to take over nursing homes. The Government needs to act now.”
“HIQA badly needs new powers to deal with both of these fundamentals. The toxic culture in these nursing homes and the regulatory and governance failure that allows this wholesale abuse of elderly residents are a direct result of Government policy. For decades, campaigners have called for robust adult safeguarding legislation to protect residents in nursing homes, but their calls have been ignored by the Government. Some 20 years on from the big promises of change made after Leas Cross, we have had a litany of abuse scandals, including the Brandon and Grace cases and Áras Attracta. We have had case after case of abuse after abuse, yet the Government sits on its hands. There is no safeguarding legislation, mandatory reporting or legal right of entry for social care teams to investigate complaints. There is no accountability ever.”
“Vulnerable elderly people were manhandled, neglected, disrespected, pushed down hallways and forced roughly into chairs by the very people who were supposed to care for them. Their families are absolutely devastated and are calling on the Government to act now. The HIQA report reveals that these were not one-off failures in care caught on camera. The culture of abuse and neglect at Beneavin Manor was obviously endemic, hardwired into the operation of the home and went on for a very long time. It is clear that Emeis did not fear HIQA. Quite frankly, it did not give a toss about regulations or inspections. It is little wonder because the hands of HIQA are tied behind its back. It does not have the legal power to impose fines. The corporate entities that own these nursing homes are out of its reach.”
“The scandal of abuse and neglect of elderly residents at two of the country's nursing homes has deepened with the publication of a HIQA report last night. It revealed that one of those homes, Beneavin Manor in Glasnevin, had almost 200 allegations of abuse of residents in the past three years. HIQA has notified the Garda of its concerns regarding the two nursing homes concerned and has requested that Emeis Ireland, the company that owns the two facilities, stops admissions to all 25 of the homes it controls. How can we have 108 allegations of abuse at just one nursing home, yet it took an RTÉ programme to expose the scandal? What we witnessed on our TV screens was horrific.”
“I see at first hand how badly served this city is, including my own constituency of Dublin Central, by this approach. Last year, Dublin City Council spent €71 million on street cleaning, involving collecting 3,000 tonnes of illegally dumped bags, providing recycling facilities, landfill recovery and waste enforcement. The system is broken and needs to be fixed. Bord na Móna drove economic development in the midlands. It was supposed to be central to the just transition to a green economy. Rather than protect the State’s involvement in this, why has Bord na Móna had its assets stripped? When will we have again a publicly controlled, affordable and sustainable waste management system in Ireland?”
“This Thursday, workers in Bord na Móna Recycling, the country’s only remaining publicly owned domestic waste collection service, will go on strike. The company's recycling arm is being sold off to a privately owned company called KWD Recycling. This State sell-off not only jeopardises workers' terms and conditions, but also makes a mockery of the Government's consultation on reform of Ireland’s approach to waste management. If the Government is open to changing the system, why on earth would it sell off the last publicly owned body involved in the sector? The privatised approach has not worked; it is not fit for purpose. It has hampered efficiency, driven up emissions and exacerbated local traffic congestion, and prices keep going up.”
“More to the point, how does the Taoiseach explain this €5 billion loss to Irish taxpayers? Remember them? They are the ones who bailed out this and other banks.”
“The Government has made a bags of the sale of the State's shares in AIB, although it tries to spin it as a success. This was a botched deal for the taxpayer from day one. In its rush to get the bank back into private hands, the Government has cost the State €5 billion. This is the money that would have been generated simply by holding onto the shares. In 2022, when the Government began the sell-off, shares in AIB stood at €2.32. Today they stand at €7. The Government was told at that time that this increase in value was very likely but it still chose to plough ahead and effectively throw this money away. We know what comes next will be gold-plated salaries and bumper bonuses for the top brass at AIB. Government incompetence in this is astonishing. When is the Government going drop the spin and accept it has botched this up?”
“I have no ideological objection. As a matter of fact, I am determined that renters, whether long-term renters, as is the case with my family, or shorter term renters, which is the more normal experience, are not fleeced and gouged in the way that is currently happening. I do not know how blunt or clear we have to be with the Taoiseach, but renters now pay thousands of euro more than just a few short years ago, and all the additional costs due to the cost-of-living crisis. The Taoiseach can stand up and bluster and cast aspersions at me all he likes, but he is in government, he is the Taoiseach and it is his housing Minister who is proposing a Bill that will have one definite effect, namely, higher rents for renters.”
“By all means, extend RPZs to the rest of the State and to areas that should have never been left out in the first place. However, the Government has to drop the rest of the Fianna Fáil rent hike Bill. It is a crazy plan and renters simply cannot take any more.”
“By Thursday, lo and behold, the Government had changed its story and it was adamant that it was always its intention to bring forward that legislation. Taoiseach, pull the other one. The Government is only doing this now because it was called out on it. Such is the mess now that we have Government TDs briefing against the housing Minister for, in their words, producing a plan that he cannot explain and that they cannot understand. I am happy to explain it to them. This is Fianna Fáil's plan to hike up rents; that is it. That is the bottom line. Cinntíonn Bille Fhianna Fáil chun cíos a ardú go rachaidh an cíos in airde do gach cíosaí. Níl orainn ach fanacht. Ní féidir leanúint leis seo. The only way to undo the damage is to go back to the drawing board.”
“It is the product of a panicked Government at sixes and sevens, desperately seeking to defend a plan which more resembles a last throw of the dice gamble than an actual solution. It has been blunder after blunder. The Government had to change the press statement announcing the plan because it made such a mess of things. The Taoiseach said one thing, the Minister said another thing and the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. Nowhere in the announcement on Tuesday, or in the days that followed, was there any mention of Government immediately bringing forward legislation to extend rent pressure zones, RPZs, to the entire State. The Government was content to wait until March and expose renters to big hikes.”
“We are talking about construction workers, healthcare workers in training and students who already struggle to find affordable accommodation being fleeced over and over. Fianna Fáil's rent hike Bill is a bonanza for the big property funds, the vultures and corporate landlords. It is a blueprint to boost the profit of the big boys and screw over renters. That is the Government's plan. It is doing this during a persistent cost-of-living crisis where people are being hit with price hikes right across the board. In the past four years, the cost of the weekly shop has sky-rocketed by €3,000 per year for many families and renters are forking out an additional €7,000 a year on average in rent. Where does the Taoiseach think people get the money? Everything within the Government's back-of-an-envelope plan is a jumble of contradictions.”
“We have had more than a decade of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael presiding over a housing emergency and now the Government proposes to force ripped-off renters to carry the can for its failures. The Government's plan for the private rental sector is really Fianna Fáil's rent hike Bill. It can spoof all it wants; the only certainty from this move is rent will increase for every renter. It is only a question of when. The average length of a tenancy is three and half years and many are much shorter, so the impact of this plan will be felt very quickly. All renters will be subject to large hikes over time. Those moving into new build properties will be hit with massive market rent from day one, while those who move frequently for work or education and regularly enter new tenancies will be absolutely hammered.”
“Twenty years on, there is no mandatory reporting and no legal right for social care teams to enter care homes to investigate complaints. Enough of the crocodile tears. We need action and a response and for it to be timetabled and delivered quickly.”