Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The points Deputy Ó Broin made regarding data and facts are important. There is a frustration among policymakers in these Houses that we do not have access to them. Various people appearing before the committee have talked about trends in the rental sector but much of it comes down to anecdotal stories and individual descriptions of how difficult or tricky it might be to provide one-form anecdotal reports about the burden of being a landlord or the burden of additional legislation and the impact that is having. There is the idea that regulation could be what is forcing people to exit the market and there is the absence of any discussion of how the increase in property prices is also having an impact on the market. For much of what we have just discussed, those data and the annual registration information would be useful, not least as it relates to new landlords entering the market and the types of new properties that are coming in. What is the international standard for turnover and what would be a normal level of turnover in respect of people exiting as landlords and the others coming in? I acknowledge it is difficult to say what is normal, but in other European countries and elsewhere in the world, what is the normal exit level and how great is the normal flow of new people into the sector? All those questions will be answered by the annual registration figures and the data. I agree with Deputy Ó Broin in that the quicker we have access to those data, the better.

The survey was fascinating. It showed that even among small landlords, 50% intended to continue to provide a stable tenancy for long periods. We often talk about the crisis in the rental sector, and people who have small, one-off landlords are often fearful they are going to arrive at any moment and issue a notice to quit, but it is heartening that half of them have no intention to sell in that short period. That is no comfort to those who do not fall into that category but it is worth noting.

The registration process involves additional fees. Does Mr. Byrne believe they will result in an increase in revenue into the organisation?