John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Just before the witnesses answer, Deputy Funchion referred to the rental sector and the landlords and Deputy Cowen reiterated the point in that regard. I will be specific. There are areas outside the IPAV's control and there are areas very directly within its control. I have a fair degree of experience in the Dublin context. There are quite a number of landlords who have one rental property and for many people that is part of a pension plan. It might be their only pension provision. Invariably, when these individuals let their properties through estate agents or auctioneers, they act on the advice given to them. They do not cherry-pick and ask whether it should be A, B or C. In the context of advising the landlord, it is the role of the auctioneer, having shown the property, to outline who might be a suitable tenant and to provide advice on rent payment schemes. For example, how a scheme with a local authority would mean the rent payments are secure, etc. It is the auctioneer's role in that context that the committee is trying to ascertain. Obviously, if an individual landlord is renting his or her property, he or she will pick and choose. When properties are let through IPAV members, however, it is they who advise landlords on whether people are suitable tenants. This is the context in which the committee members are asking how is the IPAV proactively supporting the various schemes such as HAP, RAS, etc.