Mr. Paul Dunne:

Deputy Ó Broin said that our statement stated supply was the best way. We are not ignoring the elephant in the room. That is a long-term goal. We agree that there is a problem. We have recognised it previously. He has introduced the Residential Tenancies (Student Rents, Rights and Protections) Bill and Fianna Fáil also has a Bill. I believe the Minister is on the record as saying he recognises that problem and will deal with it. How will we deal with it? As the Deputy knows, we are working on a residential tenancies amendment Bill this year. We are also looking to table amendments to that Bill - probably on Committee Stage - to cater specifically for student accommodation.

I do not underestimate the difficulty. As the Deputy knows more than anyone, the Residential Tenancies Act is complex integrated legislation. We know what our intent is; we just need to ensure we get there. As the Deputy knows, we have things such as the disapplication of Part 4 in terms of termination of notice timeframes and all that. It does not apply where a tenancy is only for eight months. We are doing this detailed analysis and we are working on drafting the heads of Bill. It is our intention to bring it forward, subject to the Minister's permission.

The Deputy also mentioned the tricky subject of students with licences and the RTB-----