Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This was one of the sections of the Bill as originally presented. I was torn on the amendment. I am very sympathetic to the approved housing bodies, which have communicated with all members regarding the financial and administrative impact on them. However, I have listened very carefully to the Residential Tenancies Board regarding the need for accurate annual information such that we can fully understand what is going on in the sector. The reason I have decided to side with the RTB and the Minister on this issue is that even though a tenancy may be long term, the details of the tenancy such as the rent paid or the number of people per household may change, and that is very important information for us to have. I would like that information to be readily available for the entire social housing sector, not just the approved housing body sector. I will be supporting the amendment.

I wish to acknowledge that the Minister has made a concession to the approved housing body sector. In the vast majority of cases, the cost of the annual registration will be €8.50 rather than €20, which is a significant reduction.

There are two issues on which I share the concerns of Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The first is that the administrative process must be very straightforward. I have spoken to the RTB on this issue and it outlined that, for example, in the case of a long-term social housing tenant there would be a detailed registration in year 1 and one could simply resubmit electronically with the click of a button on its online portal each year thereafter. Unless there was a material change, all of the data would not have to be inputted again. That is vital. The approved housing body sector works down to the bone of the administrative margin it is given and we must insist that the process is made as easy as possible for the sector.

Another concern is that although the five or six large approved housing bodies have the capacity to deal with this measure, the many very small approved housing bodies, including some that built five or ten units in their local villages which are now managed by pensioners, may not have that capacity. They are not professional organisations and it will be a significant struggle to make them aware of and have full understanding and knowledge of this issue. There may be difficulties in terms of how the requirements are communicated, the engagement with the AHBs and in terms of the penalties. I am thinking of a local Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference with three units in a small rural town, the governance of which is not at the level of that in the larger approved housing bodies. Serious thought must be given to engaging with such bodies and ensuring that they do not end up in very difficult situations through no fault of their own. I am not currently proposing an amendment to deal with that issue, but it is a matter on which the Minister should respond to the committee today or revert to it having consulted with the RTB and the Irish Council of Social Housing. To use a phrase of which the Minister is fond, we must ensure that there are no unintended consequences for such very small voluntary approved housing bodies.