Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt that every amendment was tabled with the best of intentions. Every one of us here is striving to make sure there is proper availability at an affordable cost in the private rental market. I believe every proposal is being made in good faith, but I am terribly conscious that over the past number of weeks we have seen evidence emerge of the number of people fleeing the private rental market. I do not want it to be seen that actions taken here are contributing to that. When those people leave the market, if I thought the properties were being sold and made available again on the rental market, that would be okay. If I thought local authorities were buying them, that would be brilliant. The local authority would then have them to give at an affordable rate, which would be sound and sensible. Unfortunately, every rental property being sold is reducing the number of available properties we have and further increasing the cost of rent. That is why I have a dread that, despite the best intentions of Members putting forward amendments, we are in many cases shooting ourselves in the foot and inadvertently hurting the people we want to help.

I believe this amendment was put forward with the best of intentions, but I want to add what I would call a voice of reason. We do not want people who provide accommodation to think this is some sort of witch-hunt. I know that it is not and am not saying it is, but I do not want such a perception to be there.

With regard to what the amendment is trying to achieve, we want properties to be of the highest standard. If a person says they have to end a tenancy because they need to upgrade or retrofit a house, we do not want such a person to think every time they want to do something and it is a genuine case, it finishes up in a queue for an adjudication procedure. I am worried about that. I do not doubt the good intentions of the proposer of the amendment but we have to be careful about what we are doing.

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