Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our witnesses for appearing before the committee and for the information they have given. I will take up the theme of the debate at this moment. There are two ways we can replace landlords or how landlords who sell off and go out of business can be replaced. I would be interested in finding out, for instance, about the large transfer that was referred to moments ago, in other words, an investment fund. Who bought those houses? If a big landlord is getting out of business by way of an investment fund to take advantage of the top of the market and so forth, who is expected to buy and who is buying? We need to know a little bit about where we are going. I find it very frustrating that despite all the assistance that is available, and there is a great deal of assistance available, when it comes down to it, there are an awful lot of cases that I deal with where despite all the supports and grants, people do not qualify. The applicants do not qualify.

A typical example is where the county council will set the formula for people to qualify for a local authority loan or a particular classification with regard to registration on the housing list and the degree to which help can be offered, and if people do not fall within that formula, the council can walk away. My worry is about how we accommodate them. How do we help them out? The councils will say, and I know what the reply will be, that people can go on the local authority housing list. No, they cannot, because their income is invariably too high. Therefore, on the one hand, their income is too high to qualify for a local authority house and on the other hand, it is too low for them to purchase a house or apartment or something similar. How do we go about it?