Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is a complex area. There are gaps in the data we have regarding landlords. The Residential Tenancies Board has put figures out for the number of tenancies in the country but of course that is a function of the landlord to register the tenancy. For the CSO figures, it is a function of the householder or the person occupying the house on the night of the census to figure out if they are a tenant or what the situation is. There was some discussion recently suggesting that some landlords may be leaving regulation rather than leaving the market. It has to be a registered tenancy to avail of this. It is hard to say for a once-off measure or a measure over a short period of three years how effective it would be in keeping landlords in the market. Only time will tell on that. However, any encouragement for landlords to stay within the RTB registration system has to be welcomed because it does provide protection for the tenant. It provides for longer periods for notices to quit. It also provides for tenancies of unlimited duration and provides protection for tenants. Any measure should not be seen purely in monetary terms as an incentive to keep a landlord in it because I do not know if that will work. We will have to assess that over time. However, any measure that encourages the landlord to stay within the regulatory process is something that needs to be considered. It is kind of hard to put a value on a tenant's safety and protection within their tenancy.