Mr. Zak Murtagh:

I will come in to address the legislative focal point on all of this. An impression may have been created by other witnesses before the committee that this is about thatched cottages, granny flats and all of that. The Senator asked for Threshold's impression of what is really going on.

We have always looked at everything in the round, the whole country, but we cannot ignore what is being done in other EU member states. We cannot ignore the fact that the platforms that are operating are dealing with major cities and major cities are pushing back, and for good reason because in terms of supply of long-term housing solutions, different countries have different problems in their own national housing crises. We cannot ignore the fact, as has been alluded to, that it is big business in cities and it is a serious contributing factor to what is going on around homelessness in these kinds of cities. I am referencing the likes of Lisbon, Barcelona and cities like that. In the cities we have in Ireland, it is an impression that has landed firmly with us and that is where we see the legislation really being of great benefit.