Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have one or two supplementary questions. To address the point the Minister raised, a family might be in a three-bedroom home but due to their circumstances, on a transfer, might be looking to go to a two-bedroom, or whatever the case may be. To clarify, the Minister is saying to local authorities that if somebody only qualifies for a two-bedroom home but is in situ in a three-bedroom home, the local authority can allow them to remain and, as the Minister said, subsequently acquire an asset and reallocate it to another family in future. Will the Minister clarify that?

There has been talk about local authorities possibly paying higher rents to landlords in some tenant in-situ cases. Is there any information on that? If somebody were issued with an eviction notice because a landlord might be stuck on a lower rent or in a rent pressure zone, is there any ability for the local authority to renegotiate outside the limits of the terms of the rent pressure zone to allow people, if they are not willing to buy, to at least stay in the property to ensure they do not go into homelessness?

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