Denise Mitchell slams government over housing crisis
Denise Mitchell confronts the Minister over rising evictions, rent hikes and record homelessness, arguing the government's rent-hike law has worsened the crisis. She demands an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions, and a major ramp-up in social and affordable housing.
Denise Mitchell criticises Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents for the rent hike bill introduced last summer, saying it has pushed families into homelessness. She points to 7,000 eviction notices - the highest number recorded - and stresses that behind every notice are real people and real families.
Mitchell highlights the everyday consequences: families who have secured local school places now face scrambling for housing, and long-serving workers fear losing a secure roof over their heads. She argues there are simply not enough affordable or available homes in communities.
Mitchell calls for an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions, explicitly covering council tenants, and for a rapid increase in social housing and genuinely affordable private homes. She warns that after 15 years under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael the situation has only worsened and that immediate action is required.
The speech frames the housing crisis as the result of policy choices and prioritisation of institutional landlords. Mitchell positions her demands as urgent remedies and challenges the government to change course or face further political scrutiny.
Accountability for rent hikes
Denise Mitchell criticises Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents for the rent hike bill introduced last summer, saying it has pushed families into homelessness. She points to 7,000 eviction notices - the highest number recorded - and stresses that behind every notice are real people and real families.
Human cost and local impact
Mitchell highlights the everyday consequences: families who have secured local school places now face scrambling for housing, and long-serving workers fear losing a secure roof over their heads. She argues there are simply not enough affordable or available homes in communities.
Policy demands and consequences
Mitchell calls for an emergency ban on rent increases and no-fault evictions, explicitly covering council tenants, and for a rapid increase in social housing and genuinely affordable private homes. She warns that after 15 years under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael the situation has only worsened and that immediate action is required.
What this means politically
The speech frames the housing crisis as the result of policy choices and prioritisation of institutional landlords. Mitchell positions her demands as urgent remedies and challenges the government to change course or face further political scrutiny.
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Transcript
Here we go again, the government come in here and you pat yourself on the back for everything you're doing on housing. While we have families facing evictions, rent hikes and we have record homelessness. Minister, when Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents introduced the rent hike bill last summer, we warned that all this would do is push more families into homelessness. And surprise, surprise Minister, that is precisely what has happened. You and your government sided with institutional infestors and big landlords and true renters under the bus. Behind every one of them 7,000 eviction notices, the highest number ever recorded are real people, Minister, and real families. Think of the family who's only secured a place for their child in the local school this September, now scrambling to find a home in the same area, but there's nothing available. What are you going to say to them, Minister? Or what are you going to say to those who worked all their life, who are now wondering will they ever have a secure roof over their heads? There is nowhere for these people to go. Minister, we need an emergency ban on rent increases and no fault evictions and that includes council tenants. You need to ramp up social housing, real affordable and private homes. Between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, you've had 15 years to get this right and again and again you have let families down. All you seem to do, Minister, is to make the situation worse and this has to change.