A Minister Has Been Criticised For Making A Very Irritating Suggestion To Dublin Renters

Dublin is in the midst of a very serious housing crisis, so it really boils our blood when politicians make unsympathetic and unhelpful suggestions to renters. 

This time it's Junior Finance Minister Michael D'Arcy who has put his foot in it with the groundbreaking idea that people should move to the northside because the rent is cheaper. 

It comes after a report from Daft.ie found that rent prices were up 10.4% last year and have risen by 65% since 2011. 

Yearly rents in Dublin are now €4,500 more expensive on average than they were during the boom. 

Speaking at an event on Pearse Street yesterday, D'Arcy said: 

"There's [a] rental issue, but there's also different areas where rental isn't as expensive as it is a couple of streets towards the river, and the other side of the river," said Mr D'Arcy.

"Every city I've been to there's a rental issue. The high end is expensive and it's expensive in Dublin," he added.

Fianna Fail housing spokesperson Barry Cowen said the comments were "truly remarkable" and showed that the minister was "out of touch and detached from reality". 

"It further feeds into the Fine Gael narrative and attempts to seek to normalise this crisis," he told The Herald. 

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