The increase in renting a home in Ireland needs to be brought under control, according to Fianna Fáil.

The latest Living Wage Report revealed that while housing costs moved by between €2.24 and €8.93 per week in the rest of the country, the increase in Dublin was €19.62 per week.

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Dublin John Lahart said that while there have been some decreases in living costs, these have been wiped out by rising rental costs.

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He said: "People are going to see little to no gain in the amount of money they have available for discretionary spending unless we bring the cost of renting under control. Any gains from modest pay increases in wages or reduced taxation are being swallowed up by the spiralling rents. People are in effect running just to stand still.

"The homelessness figures are already appalling and an indictment of the previous Governments failure to tackle the housing crisis. It is imperative that this Government makes a concerted effort to address the issue of soaring rents. Every effort must be made to explore each of the options available to stem the flow of families into homelessness."

(CD/MH)