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

The specific point in Article 9.1 is just the reference to not impacting on rental supply. Some 25% of households in Dublin are renters and 20% of households across the State are renters. There is a heavy concentration of lower income families with poor BER ratings and higher energy poverty. I am not arguing that we do anything that reduces rental supply because our private rental sector is currently shrinking, but in many of these debates it appears to be the one area where it is going to be the most difficult to bring those buildings up to standard. I am approaching this with all the caution with which Mr. Armstrong is approaching it. I just wonder if his concern there could also be orientated towards what else we could do to encourage, incentivise or ensure that they are brought up to those minimum standards rather than excluding them for fear that it might lead to a loss of rental supply, which appears to be the implication of the wording of his document.