Sinn Féin has hit out at the Environment Minister and the Labour Party for failing to bring forward plans on rent certainty.

Housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis said no proposals have been discussed at Cabinet and no legislation is planned.

Deputy Ellis said: "We have an emergency on our hands, and this inaction is not good enough. Minister Alan Kelly said that he would introduce Rent Certainty at the Labour Party conference in February, yet we have no movement at all on it since.

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"The government continue to claim that they will tackle unaffordable rents, but they are doing nothing. We only have a few weeks before the Dáil finishes for the summer and less than a year until the government's term is over. We cannot wait.

"Since this government have taken office, rents have risen year on year across the state, with Dublin rates increasing by an average over 40%. People cannot afford these increase caused by a shortage of housing and very high demand.

"Many landlords see this as an opportunity to charge as high rents as possible with no reflection on the quality of the accommodation or the ability of ordinary people to afford it.

"These rent increases have led to more and more people becoming homeless and emergency accommodation being at capacity."

(CD/JP)