John Cummins (Fine Gael)
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I apologise for being late. I was in the Seanad Chamber with the Minister, Deputy McGrath, and there were some interactions on the Finance Bill in the context of landlords. I missed some of the meeting so I want to go back over some of the comments in the opening statements of both IPAV and the IPOA, such as that this will prompt some landlords to sell in advance of the legislation, that the Bill would elongate the sales process, that i could be used by some tenants to stay in the properties longer than the existing legislation, and that it will remove auctions. I have read the Bill and have had an interaction with the Department regarding it and I do not see what the witnesses see. I come to this from the perspective of being exceptionally supportive of landlords as opposed to some who try to vilify landlords. The perceived difficulty the witnesses allude to does not take account of the fact that the minimum notice period for a Part 4 tenancy is six months. What we are talking about here is 90 days. Reference was made to somebody coming in at the end of the process. The heads of the Bill outline that this only applies where a bid is less than or equal to the proposed price the tenant has actually put forward. Find me a landlord who will accept a lower bid. I do not see that piece either. Will Mr. Davitt and Mr. Deverell come in on the issue of the 90 days?