Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for being here, especially at such short notice. What many of them have said is that this is already happening. That is good and positive and progressive. I have personal experience of someone who was a tenant being offered first refusal when the property went up for sale. There are many constituents in that same boat. I would like to see that extended much wider because I believe there is huge positivity in that. I am just a little concerned about unintended consequences and any potential this has to slow anything down. Sales and purchases are painfully slow in Ireland already and that can often lead to people's lives being put on hold and accommodation situations getting tricky. It is those unintended consequences I want to explore. Threshold brought up a potential unintended consequence around new grounds for termination, which I would be interested to learn more about. IPAV spoke about the situation where a landlord might like to leave or sell a property to a spouse or family member. We have already heard the dynamic and the difference of opinion on that. IPOA made a special point about this potentially having the wrong consequence and shortening or dampening the rental market. I would just like to explore those to make sure that when this is introduced, it is done right.