Fianna Fáil Seanad Group Leader, Senator Catherine Ardagh has said that any suggestion that the rental market in Dublin is slowing down simply reveals Fine Gael’s incomprehension of a housing crisis that is affecting more and more of our population as time goes on.

According to new figures published by the Residential Tenancies Board, the average cost of rent in Dublin is now €1,500 per month. This makes it the most expensive place in Ireland to rent a property.

The Dublin based Senator raised the surge in rent prices during this morning’s Order of Business in Seanad Éireann.

She said, “The Taoiseach seems to be living in some parallel universe to insinuate that the rental market is stabilising. Any suggestion that new tenancies rents are slowing down is not just an insult to those continuing to struggle to fork out the cost but also indicative of Fine Gael’s lack of will to better support those in need of more affordable housing in Dublin.

“Rent in Dublin is pricing more and more people out of suitable housing and is all too regularly driving tenants into substandard accommodation being put on the market by rogue landlords.

The latest figures reveal that rent pressure zones are absolutely not working and it is imperative that their feasibility is re-examined by the Department.  

“These rates are now not just unaffordable for the average working family but for young professionals working in the city too. The prospect of saving for a mortgage or not falling into debt to meet the cost of rent in the Greater Dublin Area is becoming even further out of reach.

The Senator concluded, “I have called on the Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy to come before the Seanad to discuss both the rent crisis and the lack of proper social and affordable housing in the Capital.”

• Local school is left without critical funding for the development of sports facilities for another year
  

Fianna Fáil Seanad Group Leader, Senator Catherine Ardagh has expressed her disapproval regarding the awarding of Sports Capital Grants to schools in Dublin.

The Crumlin based Senator raised the matter in Seanad Éireann earlier today.

“As I sat recently raking through this year’s list of sports grant recipients I was struck by the low number of inner city schools which are in desperate need of sports facilities and which are yet again left without funding,” explained Senator Ardagh.

“There are a number of projects in Dublin 8 and Dublin 12 that are designed to provide much needed sports facilities for young people in our area but have been ignored by this Government year in year out.

“I was shocked to learn that one private secondary school in South Dublin was awarded €150,000.

“The CBS in Drimnagh, which educates and nurtures hundreds of young boys in the South Inner City had sought a similar proportion of funding but has been badly let down. This school does not benefit from private funding and rely solely on State support.

"To add insult to injury, South Inner City based rugby club, the Liberty Saints are expected to receive €7,000 while Malahide RFC in the North County have been allocated over €100,000 – That is a substantial difference and one which I believe to be deeply unfair.

She added, “It is nonsensical that those most in need of sports facilities to support the development of young people living in areas that are crippled by crime and anti-social behaviour, have been overlooked for another year.

“We hear near constant lip service from this Government that it will offer better supports to inner city communities yet a prime opportunity in the allocation of sports funding has again gone ignored.

“Fine Gael continues to neglect schools and local organisations ability to keep young people in the south inner city out of criminality and away from drugs.

“These communities are crying out for proper local amenities, facilities and adequate affordable housing. Minister Ross self-indulgent allocation of sports funding to his local private school is an insult to the people of inner city Dublin,” concluded Senator Ardagh.