Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the officials for the report. It is very welcome. A lot of people had rooms in their homes that were lying empty. The provision for students in particular is a really good one. I am in Dublin 15 where we have the TU and a lot of students were unable to take up and access places within the university or are travelling extremely long distances. Some of the estates in Dublin 15 would be 30 or 40 years old so the families have all moved on. It is a very useful measure. On the sunset clause, I think it is March 2025, which will be in the middle of the student year. Someone is going to be taking up accommodation from September to about April or May. There is still a gap where a person can offer accommodation but can only guarantee it until next March. I have a question around that.

Is 250 the current number in total? It is. It seems quite low considering the need for housing, particularly when we are talking about students or people within the fair deal scheme. For me, the fair deal aspect was always a bit of a no-brainer. When I lived in town in my mother-in-law's house, the house next door to us was empty for years. I could never understand why it was continuously deteriorating. It is a really good scheme. The numbers are quite low. Are there any barriers that are preventing people from accessing this? Is it information? Are there any tax implications that mean people may be afraid of getting involved?