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

I thank everybody for their presentations. One of the discussions we have been having both in the Oireachtas and publicly since the winter ban on evictions was introduced is why we have not seen the level of reduction in men, women and children in emergency accommodation as we did when Eoghan Murphy introduced his ban on evictions in 2020. Of course, we know the reason. It is because the number of exits from emergency accommodation has collapsed significantly over that period. Part of that is because the private rental sector has been contracting and part of it is because there has not been access to the short-term letting sector in the same way as there was in 2020, etc. I am saying that because that means the tenant in situscheme is even more valuable now as one of the homeless prevention measures than may have been perceived previously.

What our committee and some of us would like to understand is why the progress with the scheme since it opened in April of last year has been so slow in terms of the number of properties offered versus the number purchased. My questions are not intended to be a criticism of anybody. Particularly, the local authority staff are under enormous pressure with all of the different demands on their time.

If we are going to see an increase in tenants in situover the next 12 months, we need to try to fix some of those problems that are clearly there, and I think we would all accept that.

Most of my questions in the first round are for Ms Stapleton. I will come back to the local government sector in the second round. I have one question for Ms Farrelly. In relation to sales agreed and completed, there is a figure of 367 since the scheme reopened. Do we know the total number of properties offered for sale by landlords, but which were subsequently either withdrawn, because they were sold on the private market, or turned down by the local authorities, because they did not meet the various criteria, so we can compare the number offered versus the number completed? Does the Department have that figure?