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

I thank the Minister for the information. I welcome every single one of the properties that is both acquired and sale agreed. We have been calling for the scheme to be reopened and then improved for quite some time. I would like to run through some of the feedback that we are getting from tenants and landlords. They are not questions but I am genuinely putting these forward because I think they are areas that could be improved for both social and cost rental housing.

Some local authorities are doing exceptionally well. Other local authorities are very slow and we are hearing of significant resistance. We need to find a mechanism to ensure that good local authority activity remains consistent right across the way. The sensible, flexible approach from Dublin City Council is a little slower but is still good. If that could be uniformly implemented across local authorities, that would be important.

It is taking a long time, at six, seven, eight or, in some cases, nine months, in the cases that I am aware of. Some of that is because there are real staffing challenges. Local authorities sometimes have to take staff from other areas of staffing. That is really challenging. Even where they allocate the extra staff, they lose somewhere else. I urge the Minister to look at that, particularly if it is likely for the scheme to expand. I would like to see it expand.

There is a huge problem with communication. Landlords tell us over and over again that it is hard to get information from the local authority. Sometimes, that can be the difference between a landlord hanging in for another month or two while conveyancing is completed or withdrawing from the scheme. We have some cases of landlords withdrawing.

We also need to allow local authorities to give some information to tenants. I know that, strictly speaking, it is a matter between landlord and tenant. Surely, there has to be some mechanism, without breaching GDPR, to state that basic information is still being processed. It is not being given in most cases, even in the good local authorities.

I would like the Minister to reconsider Focus Ireland's proposal that, rather than having to have a notice of termination, a letter of intent from a landlord could be sufficient to start exploring the process. Some landlords do not want to give the notice if it is not going to proceed.

With respect to cost rental, this scheme is not working. I think it is a reflection of the fact that the scheme really only started to be properly thought through after it was opened. There is significant resistance from within the approved housing bodies because they are fearful of the level of risk they are taking. They have conveyed that to the Minister. There is not a good enough amount of information. Social housing applicants know to go to the council when they get the notice. Many private rental tenants who do not have access to the local authorities do not know. The income assessment is too cumbersome. The 12-month lookback is causing problems. I urge the Minister to reconsider that.

I had an email from a gentleman today who is a landlord in Dún Laoghaire. He wants to sell to the tenant and engage in the tenantin situscheme. The local authority indicated that they were sale agreed in May of this year, but in September they withdrew, saying that the contract was denied, but provided no information. Where a contract is being denied, particularly at that late stage, we need to have a situation where some information is provided.