Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Cummins mentioned the RTB report. The RTB was not able to join us today, but it did provide a report. It tells us that approximately 40% of notices to quit relate to Dublin. The county with the next highest number is Cork, at 10%. The percentage for every other county stands at 2%. As well as the points that my colleagues have put to the CCMA, I must state the following. In the context of every local authority, and no matter how big or small the risk of homelessness is, as Senator Wall said, it is important that the staff response is trauma-informed and that staff understand that the people they are dealing with at the other end of the phone are in a traumatic situation and are greatly unnerved. The contacts that Mr. Kelly said would be available for every local authority are really important. I know that Dublin has it, and it is great. It removes a great deal of the uncertainty and builds confidence for landlords that the council is real. There is a lot of negative narrative around landlords. They are petrified to even admit to owning properties. It allows them to deal directly. It allows them to believe and have confidence that the local authority is serious about helping them to prevent their tenant becoming homeless. It is really important that every local authority has that.

It is important that the process is expeditious. I know from dealing with tenants and landlords that the fact that the process moves expeditiously and gives certainty and confidence is really important.

The point was made about circumstances in which a local authority goes to the Department with an exceptional case. Local authorities do their due diligence. They will not come forward with spurious cases. We have gone through this whole debate about the moral hazard. It highlights that the local authority managers are not being awkward but that they are thinking this through and every case is being evaluated and understood. It is really important that when the Department is reviewing its processes that it is accepted that what the State is doing here is intervening to create certainty for renters to meet the social housing obligation that the State has to its citizens. That is really important.

I appreciate that we are talking about the tenant in situ process, but it would be remiss of us not to talk about the other measures and supports there such as HAP and homeless HAP. According to the report Ms Farrelly provided, 160 new HAP tenancies are being created every week. If 40% of the notices to terminate are in Dublin, roughly what percentage of these HAP tenancies are in Dublin? Does she know that? Ms Farrelly also referred to homeless HAP. What is the benefit to renters of the homeless HAP? What does it do in addition to HAP?