Ms Caren Gallagher:

We have undertaken research that was published in July of last year. An aspect of that research specifically looked at landlords who had recently left the sector. We asked them a series of questions to ascertain why they exited the sector, trying to get some information on the motivation to sell. We can send some details of that research to the committee. We can see a decline in the number of tenancies registered with the RTB. That is reflected in our figures. The other aspect that the Deputy mentioned, which is an area that we were particularly interested in, is that of older renters. As we know, tenancies are lasting longer and the number of people in the rental sector has increased in size over the last number of years. Many people who are in the rental sector because of their circumstances will not be in a position to buy or move out of the sector. There is also a piece of research within the survey of tenants that specifically outlines the experience of older renters. We can send that information to the committee.