Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputies are correct that I am giving a statement. However, I am very much aware myself of the difficulties people face in my constituency but there have been significant changes. I can only speak for the area I represent in Dublin South-Central where a significant number of properties have been bought up by the council and a significant amount of properties and voids have been put back into the system.

In the short term, the Government's rent predictability measures limit rent increases to a maximum of 4% per annum, less than one third ofthe rate of rent inflation reported by daft.ie. Tenants can expect to see significantly smaller rent increases than those they have seen recently or would have faced if the measures had not been introduced. As has already been indicated, Dublin was designated as a rent pressure zone in December 2016. The daft.iereport data for Dublin indicates that the rate of rent price increases has dropped since then. However, it is still too early to say whether that is an effect of the rent predictability measure. The Minister will be better placed to make a judgement when the RTB publishes the rent index report for quarter 1, 2017, next month.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has already committed to carrying out a review, in June this year, of the rent predictability provisions. At that point, the provisions will have been in place for six months and it will be possible to ascertain their effectiveness and whether any changes need to be made, for example, to the qualifying criteria or the designation process. In the meantime the Housing Agency will continue to monitor the rental market and may recommend further areas for designation as rent pressure zones. Where, following the procedures set out in the legislation, it is found that additional areas meet the criteria, they will be designated as rent pressure zones.

I have listened closely to what both Deputies said and I have made notes which I will pass on the Ministers in question. I hope there will be further information to provide to them in the coming days.

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