Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague Deputy Ó Broin for introducing this Bill to the House back in 2020.

Last November, the National Oversight and Audit Commission report for 2021 was launched. It is damning regarding private rental accommodation inspections, to say the least. The report stated that between 2016 and 2021, there was an increase of 14% in the number of dwellings found to be non-compliant and that the number of dwellings that became compliant in 2021 actually fell by comparison with the number in 2020. The report states that in my county, Kildare, 88% of dwellings inspected in 2021 were not compliant with the standards regulations. These are people's homes.

Many of the homes that families live in are not up to the standard in the regulations, and the numbers are going in the wrong direction. The current inspection system is clearly not working. Sinn Féin would like 25% of private rental properties in the State to be inspected every year. Deputies Ó Murchú and Ó Broin have both said our Bill proposes the establishment of an NCT-like system that would set out prerequisites for the letting of quality accommodation. The meeting of standards such as fire safety standards should be a prerequisite, not an afterthought. We should not have to ask for this. People's lives are affected and it is unacceptable that many are forced to live in substandard accommodation.

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In my constituency, I know of students crammed into a small four-bedroom house that has been poorly converted into a nine-bedroom house with bad insulation and no fire doors. It is not good enough. It damages people's quality of life and can lead to severe health complications down the line.

I urge the Minister of State to support our Bill and to resource local authorities so that more inspections of private rental properties can take place. This would not only protect renters but also protect good landlords. Good landlords complying with housing standards and RTB regulations should be rewarded and not undercut by landlords who cut corners and blatantly flout regulations. Again, I urge the Minister of State to support the Bill and put much-needed protections in place for renters and those who rent out property.

I listened to Deputy Ó Murchú talk about retrofitting. I am all in favour of retrofitting but in some areas in my constituency where retrofitting is happening, we are retrofitting houses while the windows and doors are falling off so we are effectively heating the garden. This needs to be addressed.

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