Paul Murphy: Condemns Stormont U-turn on 10% Rent Cut
Paul Murphy addressed the Taoiseach about a Stormont U-turn on rents and renewed his call for a 10% rent cut for private tenants across the north. He said People Before Profit secured the measure, which SDLP, Sinn Fein and Alliance initially backed, but that it was later reversed after pressure from landlords.
Stormont U-turn on rent cut
Two weeks ago People Before Profit in Stormont proposed a 10% rent cut for private tenants right across the north and it passed, Paul Murphy told the Taoiseach. He said the decision was reversed two days ago, undoing what he described as a much-needed break for renters.
Allegations of landlord influence
Murphy accused Sinn Fein and other parties of buckling to landlord and corporate lobby pressure when the measure was overturned. He argued the reversal showed a failure to stand up for tenants and reiterated People Before Profit's support for a 10% rent cut.
Proposal repeated for the south
Murphy said his party would make the same rent-cut proposal in the south against "profiteering landlords" and asked the Taoiseach whether rents should be reduced both north and south and if action would be taken to ensure that happens.
Taoiseach's response on realism and implementation
The Taoiseach said he was not fully familiar with the specifics of the Assembly vote but suggested Sinn Fein ministers in Northern Ireland may have greater awareness of the "realities" and realpolitik of what is possible. He cautioned that proposals must be realistic in light of market conditions.
Housing supply and policy priorities
The Taoiseach warned that landlords with one or two houses have been leaving the market and that the number of landlords has declined over the last two years. He said the response should include increasing private rental units and accelerating social housing, affordable housing and cost rental options to address the broader housing issue.
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Taoiseach, have you been informed of the recent U-turn by Stormont on rents? Two weeks ago People Before Profit in Stormont proposed a 10% rent cut for private tenants right across the north and it passed. At the time SDLP, Sinn Fein, Alliance, MLAs all backed this proposal but since then they buckled to the landlord's pressure, they did a U-turn and two days ago they reversed the decision at Stormont. This proposal would have given renters a much needed break but rather than stand up for tenants Sinn Fein, which has the Minister, buckled to the corporate lobbyists. We stand by our proposal for a rent cut and we make the same proposal here in the south against the profiteering landlords and for cutting rents to affordable levels. Taoiseach, do you agree that rents need to come down north and south and will you take action to ensure it happens? Thank you very much in relation to it. Deputy Murphy, I am not fully familiar with what you did say that you had secured the passage in the Assembly of a 10% reduction in rents and that that has now been overturned. You are saying Sinn Fein buckled to the corporate landlords, which is some assertion and I think that would be a surprise. On the other hand, maybe it is a sense of realism breaking through because we have indicated here that there are real realities around the private rental market that cannot be ignored. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein ministers tend to have a greater grasp of the realities and the realpolitik of what is possible and what is not possible as opposed to Sinn Fein leadership in opposition in the Republic, who very often would put forward ideas that their colleagues in the north simply cannot implement. And I think it does illustrate the fact that objectively one has to be realistic in the proposals that one puts forward. The issue when you call, you know, in the Republic, landlords are leaving the market right now. Those with one house or two houses are leaving the market. There has been a decline in the number of landlords as we speak over the last two years. We need an increase in units in private rental markets to deal with the broader housing issue. We need more social housing, we need more affordable housing, we need more cost rental, which I think has great potential, but we have to massively accelerate the scale and the extent of that. We need lower copyrights, we need a closer to the public housing issue in the public housing issue. See you in a great transition. You can addbook. �
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