Tánaiste Simon Harris has defended the Government’s rent pressure zone (RPZ) reforms in the wake of the Central Bank’s finding they will be “painful” for renters and rounded on Sinn Féin as the “wealthiest party” and property owner in the Dáil.
He claimed it was a “load of bull” that they were on the side of “working people”.
He also reiterated his comments that the Government will be taking specific measures to support students and that “we have their backs” as Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane accused the Government of “spin and bluster”.
Responding to Mr Cullinane, Mr Harris hit out at Sinn Féin as the “biggest property owners in Dáil, the biggest property investors” with 40 to 50 properties, including seven in Belfast.
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“So don’t give me this ‘oh we’re on the side of the working people’. This is a load of bull that people see right through,” Mr Harris said.
Mr Cullinane, quoting the Central Bank, said the Government measures “will hurt students and their families”, would affect young people and their ability to save for their own homes and “this will hurt ordinary working people”.
He said rent controls will not apply to new builds and will not apply to existing homes after a renter moves out voluntarily. They would also not apply to off-campus student accommodation , Mr Cullinane said.
The Waterford TD said the reforms “will hurt tens of thousands of people” and “there is absolutely no guarantee that these changes will increase supply”.
He asked “when are you going to stop punishing renters?” and called on the Tánaiste to accept that “students will be one of the first to be affected”.
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Government housing policy “has always been about investors and giving vulture and cuckoo funds free rein to squeeze rents out of hardworking people”, Mr Cullinane said.
Mr Harris said Mr Cullinane was only quoting parts of what the Central Bank said. The bank “also said that our rent pressure zone reforms will have a positive effect on supply”, Mr Harris said.
“They themselves acknowledge that housing projections are subject to uncertainty, but they’ve said this morning that it’s not impossible to reach the target,” the Tánaiste added.
“There’s a number of steps that need to be taken and many of the steps that they’ve outlined are areas where the Government has a priority focus on.”
He said an additional 11 counties would be included in the RPZs and protected.
Mr Harris also insisted the Government “will be taking specific measures to support students”.
“Do not worry because we have their back,” he said, adding that the Government would include additional measures in the budget to protect students.
He added that Sinn Féin planned to abolish RPZs and was in favour of reference rents which he said were unworkable.
Mr Harris also rejected claims by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín that the Government was underestimating the homeless population by almost 1,000 based on figures the party got through freedom of information requests to local councils.
Mr Tóibín said the local authorities listed 16,472 people as homeless while the official figures are 15,580, some 892 fewer people.
The Tánaiste said the monthly figures were official, impartial State statistics and not those of Government. He said in relation to figures compiled by Aontú that often those seeking housing are registered with more than one council creating duplication in the statistics.
