Pensioners living in South Dublin council houses are to be hit with a “heartless” annual rent hike of more than €600.
The increase kicks in after the removal of a €10 weekly allowance for pensioners and a €3 rise in leases.
During Leaders’ Questions in the Dail, Rise TD Paul Murphy hit out at the attack by South Dublin County Council on the old and vulnerable.
He said the move again shows Fine Gael works to “protect the haves and punish the have nots”.
The party is part of the majority on the local authority and Mr Murphy accused Tanaiste Simon Coveney of punishing the poorest in society.
The row came as it was revealed private landlords collected a record rent income of €13billion last year.
Mr Murphy said he is concerned the largest council in the country will also raise its leases.
He added: “Reference has been made to the possibility of Dublin City Council deciding to increase rents for council tenants.
“I want to ask the Tanaiste about what is quite an outrageous decision by his party Fine Gael, together with Fianna Fail and the Green Party, to support an increase in rents.
“It is a heartless attack on some of the most vulnerable people on low incomes.
“It is an attack, presumably supported by the Tanaiste, which underscored the nature of Fine Gael and the Government’s housing policy as one being to protect those who have it and attack those who do not.”
Mr Murphy said Ireland has seen the highest rents and profits for landlords during Fine Gael’s tenure.
He also hit out at the party “over the greatest level of homelessness and housing crisis in the history of the State”.
Mr Murphy said: “It is an approach to ideology seen in the kings and queens in the past who ruled the world.
But Mr Coveney defended Fine Gael by insisting next year’s housing budget will be more than €2.6billion.
He said: “This represents a dramatic increase over recent years in terms of what the Government could afford.
“Therefore, we are not targeting anybody; rather we are trying to help people in difficult circumstances.
“Many are in temporary accommodation that is not suitable in the long term.
“The objective is to get people into homes so they can have stable lives with the support of the State.”
