Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses from the RTB. Their work is important. I commend them on the website. It is an effective interactive website. It is clearly laid out. I had a look at it again today. It is certainly impressive. There is a mechanism for engagement on it that I quite like. It uses simple terms. It is easy to follow and understand. There are nice coloured graphics. There is more to an organisation than its website but it is reflective of a view and management structure. I picked up on this and I congratulate the RTB on it as a positive start.

I read the RTB's submission and I thank the witnesses for it. I am nearly at the end of the list of speakers and I apologise because the witnesses may have covered the areas I will ask about. Unfortunately, I had to nip out to two or three other meetings. The submission document states the RTB has recently produced default mediation to support property owners and tenants to resolve issues early without recourse to a lengthy, more formal and more adversarial process. It also states the RTB has seen that where parties choose mediation as an option there is an 80% success rate. This is a powerful message. In the statement, the board acknowledges the new registration system has created difficulties for some property owners and agents and it is working hard to address these issues.

Senator Cummins teased out some at great length. I was particularly interested in his forensic questioning because I have similar views. I have heard from other people there are difficulties for tenants and landlords getting access to the RTB. It begs the question as to whether the board is fit for purpose. I like to think it is. Clearly if people are waiting 22 weeks, five months or six months it is too long. It is particularly long for a tenant. It is long for a landlord but particularly long for a tenant in dispute. The RTB needs to address this. I would like to think that at some stage it could give us some reassurances. Based on what people have said to me they believe the organisation is not fit for purpose in its current form and I am inclined to agree with this. We have identified this so let us find out how the RTB will address it. I want to hear how it intends to address the shortcomings in the organisation in respect of timelines. It is not an issue with the processes; it is an issue with the length of time it takes to get to the process.

With regard to mediation, 80% is a high success rate. How can we encourage more people to enter the mediation process? Clearly it is a successful system. The RTB has acknowledged that the new registration system had created difficulties. Will the witnesses share with us some of these difficulties? How will the board address them? It has acknowledged it is a problem, which is halfway there.

Will the witnesses confirm that the mediation service is free? Many people do not know this and this message needs to be sent loud and clear. The RTB provides a free mediation service. There is also adjudication, which is a more formal service. Will the witnesses explain this process? Clearly we want to get people in the mediation process. I take it that it is a key objective of the RTB to get more people into mediation. The appeals tribunals are for people who are unhappy with the outcome of mediation or adjudication. They can go to this tribunal. It seems to be a longer process.

On the whole, the RTB is an appropriate, necessary and important organisation. It needs to hone in on housekeeping issues. My only concern that I have heard from people is the wait for the process and how they can interact with the service. How can the RTB address this? Will the witnesses share with us some concrete ways that it will deal with these issues in the new year?

Will the witness confirm a figure? I believe Mr. Byrne said that the RTB had a 5,000 caseload last year, and it is anticipated to have an active caseload by the end of the year of approximately 8,000. That is clearly an upward trajectory. That will make a lot of demands on the RTB's services. That is the big indicator to the board. The RTB knows there is a growing demand, and whether we like it, it will continue given the sets of tenancy and landlord issues and the difficulties there. Perhaps the witnesses will speak to that The RTB is an important organisation. It just needs a little bit of honing in to address some of the issues that were raised. I thank the witnesses for coming here to the committee today.