Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt but that this is a problem. It is a serious problem that is exacerbated by the circumstances of recent years. There has been an inadequate supply of housing, and that is why the central focus of the housing action plan being brought forward and implemented now by the Minister responsible for housing is to increase the supply of houses. This will create more opportunities for people to get accommodation and, therefore, it will address the problem of increasing rents, which represents a real problem for many.

It is accepted that there are acute pressures in the rental market now. I have outlined one of the focus areas of the five pillars of the housing programme being put together by the Minister. The pillars are to help families to meet their needs, to deal with affected individuals, from rough sleepers and homeless people to those in hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts, and to help young couples who are not able to avail of an opportunity to buy their own house.

I have already said in the House that the private rental sector strategy will be brought forward by the Minister responsible for housing in the next few weeks. He has already started a serious consultation process involving a wide range of people dealing with the housing and rental sectors. They have been invited to attend and contribute to the strategy. The focus will be on four key areas. The first is security. Greater security will be afforded to landlords and tenants. The second is supply, the objective being to maintain existing levels of rental stock and encourage investment in additional supply. The third area is standards, which involves improving the quality and management of rental accommodation. The fourth area is services, and it involves broadening and strengthening the role and powers of the RTB so it can provide its services more effectively and empower both tenants and landlords. We will see a number of improvements in place before the year's end that will have to be legislatively based. There will be new measures to ensure tenancies remain in situwhere a landlord proposes to sell more than 20 units in a single development. We have had experience of this already. There are to be enhanced enforcement and dispute-resolution powers for the RTB and revised standards of accommodation in the rental sector, with new regulations to be finalised in the next couple of weeks.

The overarching objective of the strategy for the rental sector, which will be in place by the end of year, is to increase supply and support the development of a stable, strong and viable renal sector offering more choice for households and investment opportunities for providers and reflecting both the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.

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