Policy Issues Home

There are 2,700 properties to rent on the market, according to the latest Daft Rent Report, the lowest number of available rentals since the Report was first published in 2006.  The average asking rent is €1,366 – a year on year increase of 8.3%.  Notwithstanding inflation at a 6-year low, Dublin continues to see the highest rents, ranging from an average of €1,671 in the North County to €2,190 in the South.  Meanwhile rent inflation in Munster has reached an all time high of 12%, with rates in Connaught and Ulster also remaining high.  Government subsidies to private landlords have also increased in last number of years but how sustainable are these, and what are the alternatives?

Decisions made by general and local Government affect every one of us.  Policies enacted on healthcare, housing, taxation, planning and so on all have an impact on our day to day lives.  Part of the ‘Good Governance’ pillar in Social Justice Ireland’s proposed Policy Framework for a Just Society, is the right of all people to meaningfully participate in the decisions and to have their say in shaping their communities and the world around them.  These rights are a fundamental part of living in a democracy and, as such, should be experienced by all equally.

Investing in lifelong learning and adult education is vital to prevent future skills mismatches and to ensure no-one is excluded from an ever changing labour market. 

While we welcome the fall in the proportion of employees earning the minimum wage or lower, the fact is that despite very welcome increases in the NMW in the last few years, it remains about 18 per cent below the living wage. It is long past time that government set a five-year timeframe to close the gap between the National Minimum Wage and the living wage, and implement a system of Refundable Tax Credits in Budget 2020 to help mitigate the issue of in-work poverty.