'No major row' over rent caps says Brendan Howlin

A Labour minister has said there is no major row with Fine Gael over rent caps and both parties are eager to make rent affordable.

Labour minister Brendan Howlin has said there is no major row with Fine Gael over rent caps and both parties are eager to make rent affordable.

Brendan Howlin was playing down any row between the coalition partners, after they failed to agree on measures to announce in yesterday's Budget.

Alan Kelly wants to link rent increases to the cost of living, but Michael Noonan is worried that builders will not want to build if their profits are limited.

Minister Howlin told reporters last night that building new properties was the only permanent solution.

“The solution has to be to use all available mechanisms and we are really rattling the cage to ensure we have an increasing supply,” Minister Howlin said.

“But in the interim, every other mechanism that we can look at to bring short term relief, if it works, will be implemented.”