Mr. Niall Byrne:

That is something that would need to be looked at by the Department. It is not directly one for our board because, as I was saying, our job is to ensure the conditions are in place for the tenancies to be successful, both for the tenants and for the landlords. On these other dimensions, which I accept are very important, I understand the welfare dimension of what the Senator is saying and we all equally understand real people are involved here. We do not want to come across as anything other than concerned public officials who are very concerned about the public interest, but in terms of us making commitments to that here and now, it must be noted that it is a complex system within which we work.

The local authorities have their responsibilities. They are the housing authorities. We are not, we have insights and information. We might have early notice concerning some of these situations, and this may be what the Senator is pointing to, but to go beyond that by way of comment on this aspect might not be the most helpful thing for us to do. We do understand the point, however.

As I said earlier, this is a complex sector. There are many players, actors, moving parts, relationships, dependencies, interrelationships, etc. Equally, various arms of the State are involved. It is the case that the State does not always get its act together in the best kind of way. Public bodies often so not co-operating in the best kind of way. I am very much in favour of streamlined and joined-up government, but, at the same time, I must be clear about the role, function and responsibilities of the RTB as currently set out in legislation and ensure that we prioritise those. If the committee were to write to us on this issue, among other matters, we would obviously give it all due and careful consideration.