Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It can be tough for somebody to get on top of everything when he or she has been in a job for only one month.

To return to the RTB database, there is much talk, including in political circles, about how an exodus of landlords from the property market is taking place. I have examined the figures the RTB gave us. In 2005, there were 50,000 landlords, while in 2014, there were approximately 160,000. In 2020, there were in the region of 165,000 according to the figures I have in front of me, which tells me there has been no exodus. In fact, there was a slight increase since 2014 and it remained relatively flat during that period. Am I correct in stating that the hard information Ms Gallagher has shows that there has been no exodus since 2014 but, rather, that there has been a slight increase in the number of landlords, and that the number has tripled since 2005? I ask her to be brief because I have further questions.