Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Striking a balance is difficult; if it was easy, we would have acted months ago. Sinn Féin has made proposals on numerous occasions and I understand the party intends to introduce another Private Members' motion in two weeks' time, which is just before we are due to the launch the rental strategy. I am not sure if this will be helpful given that we are trying to finalise a rental strategy that takes on board the concerns of many stakeholders. That is politics, however.

The issue for me is to get this right. The last thing I want to do is introduce a blunt measure that may solve an immediate problem for one sector but cause a major problem in another sector. We must ensure that, regardless of what steps we take, the private rental market continues to attract investment because we need many more rental properties. However, I will not ignore the pressures many tenants are under. We have taken time to consult many interested parties, including the Opposition, on this matter and we will finalise the process as quickly as possible. I hope political games will not be played during the process because this is a genuine effort to get this right.

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