2 days ago
Micheál pummelled from all sides over Government's latest plan to ease rental crisis
Micheál Martin isn't losing the run of himself as he jets around the globe, rubbing shoulders with world leaders.
He's still just a lad from Turner's Cross who did well for himself above in the Dáil – and anyway, being Taoiseach is a very humbling job.
But at those rare times when he might be in danger of succumbing to notions, Micheál asks himself a simple question: 'What would the king of Jordan say?'
We learned this a little later in Tuesday's proceedings, after he had survived yet another torrid round of Opposition questions on the subject of housing and attention turned to the continuing horror in Gaza.
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The Taoiseach prefaced one reply with this memorable line: 'As the king of Jordan said to me ...'
But back to the intractable issue of housing, Micheál was pummelled from all sides over his Government's latest plan to ease the rental crisis.
Thankfully, he had his Minister for Housing there for guidance and moral support, which must have been a comfort. Situated almost by his side, a mere six seats away on the front bench, James Browne was a tower of strength. At one point during Micheál's lengthy grilling at the hands of Mary Lou McDonald, Ivana Bacik, Cian O'Callaghan and Paul Murphy, the Minister even passed him a short note.
This was most dramatic. The Taoiseach had been under pressure over the confusing details of these new proposals which have the twin objectives of further protecting tenants' security while ensuring decent profits for institutional landlords in an effort to get them building again.
James, the man at the epicentre of what everyone in Dáil Éireann agrees is the single biggest issue facing Ireland today, was sandwiched between Minister for Children Norma Foley and Minister for the Arts Patrick O'Donovan. From his exalted pew, he scribbled a few words on a piece of paper and handed it under the ledge to Norma, who passed it underarm to Noel Grealish, who sneaked it to Dara Calleary who slipped it swiftly across the empty seat to his boss.
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Presumably it was a reminder to Micheál to continue saying the proposed measures 'won't affect existing tenants'. A clear enough statement in that it clearly did nothing to clear up the continuing confusion.
The Taoiseach was doing his level best to convince the chamber he feels good about James Browne's big production number. But he was hampered by a press release sent out by the Minister's department about an hour before the Dáil resumed for the week. Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit had copies of it and it seemed to cast huge doubt on the 'won't affect existing tenants' aspect of the plan.
This statement – with pertinent lines highlighted in neon – was waved with abandon at Micheál from across the floor. Time and again he was asked to explain it. He didn't, leading People Before Profit's Paul Murphy to put the question yet again when he grabbed the baton for the last lap and bore down on what he called the Taoiseach's 'incredibly brazen performance'.
Here's the particular detail which had everyone in a tizzy: 'All landlords will have the right to reset rent where the rent is below market at the end of each six-year tenancy.' Paul read it 'very slowly' for the Taoiseach, in case he missed the point when it was made by the three previous speakers.
The TD for Dublin South-West was puzzled – like a lot of people. How could he say sitting tenants will keep their existing 2 per cent/Consumer Price Index rent cap indefinitely when the Minister for Housing has it down in black-and-white that 'all landlords' will have the right to adjust upwards after six years?
'It's not just new landlords, not just big landlords, not just small landlords, but every single landlord. That means it affects existing tenants and new tenants,' said Paul, his Opposition colleagues nodding in agreement.
Maybe the Minister could enlighten him as to the finer details of this policy?
Sinn Féin's Louise O'Reilly chimed in: 'Do you want to phone a friend?'
Micheál was sticking to his guns. He had the note from James in front of him on the ledge. The measure is due to come into effect next March. After that, all new tenants will be subject to the six-year rule, be they students returning after the summer and looking for a place to stay again or renters who left accommodation for whatever reason and are in the market again.
A short time after Leaders' Questions, the housing body Threshold issued a statement giving a qualified welcome to the proposed rental sector reforms. This will have come as some solace to Micheál, who may just have to mention this intervention when the subject comes up again on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in her contribution, Labour's Ivana Bacik quoted her own housing spokesperson, Conor Sheehan, who had been out on the plinth earlier in the day voicing his reservations about the proposals.
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She had to agree with him when he said there were 'more holes in the policy announced today than there were in the Titanic'.
Conor has a flair for the dramatic. He also said that renters were 'thrown to the wolves' and 'thrown under a bus' by the Government.
As for the Titanic, wasn't it just one big iceberg-inflicted hole which did the damage?
Almost all Dáil business on Tuesday was taken up with the housing crisis. But during Questions on Policy, the horrendous situation in Gaza was discussed. Ruth Coppinger asked if the Naval Service could be used to deliver humanitarian aid to the stricken population there.
'If 12 activists can go on a ship, how can a professional Navy not do that?'
This wasn't possible, replied the Taoiseach, applauding the crew of the Madleen for their actions. However, its crew acknowledged this was a symbolic gesture.
And then he added: 'As the king of Jordan said to me at the weekend, the people need trucks and trucks of aid. Not drops. They need absolute unimpeded aid going into Gaza at huge scale ...'
The king of Jordan, like.
As you do.
