Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I commend the witnesses on the documentation that they have shared today and the quarterly bulletins. They are a really helpful guide. It would be good to try to get those earlier. Over a full four quarters, the gap creates issues in terms of the value from a policymaking point of view. Any effort to accelerate the publication would be welcome. The quarter 4 report records a dramatic drop in registered tenancies from the high point of 319,000 in 2016 to an estimated figure for last year of 276,000. That is a loss, on one reading of the figures, of 43,000 homes, a 40% loss from the rental sector. Given that the 2021 figures are estimated, is it really a loss of 43,000 homes or is there something else going on? Related to that, I would like to know how soon the witnesses will have any figures for 2022 regarding registrations. That would be very valuable for the conversation we are having.

One of the positives of the unpublished data the witnesses have shared is that they show the vast majority of landlords are not thinking of leaving the market. Certainly in the next 12 months, 73% of landlords are not considering leaving the market. That is an important point for the public debate. However, we still have 15% of landlords who are either likely or very likely to sell in the next 12 months. We also have 10% of landlords who are likely or very likely to want the property for their own use or family use. That means that potentially 25% of landlords are considering exiting, either for sale or for family use. This is a huge challenge at a time of constrained supply. I am interested in the witnesses' observations on that.

The last questions are regarding registration. It has been very frustrating for people who have received fines in error from the perspective of both private sector landlords and the approved housing body sector. Can we have an update on when they will be repaid? What reassurance can be given to AHBs and private sector landlords that the system is going to improve dramatically? We have received lots of complaints about this issue. It is not just the difficulty of the system but the difficulty of getting through to the RTB by phone to try to clarify and verify any information.