John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

I cannot give the Deputy a date for that. The matter is being kept under active review. We have obviously enhanced the measures to try to improve the BERs relating to our rental stock. The Deputy is right to say that the ESRI has completed valuable work on this matter. It has stated that four in five rented dwellings currently have BERs below B and the estimated cost of upgrading the housing stock in the rental market is between €7 billion and €8 billion in 2023 prices. It is a significant cost. In making any policy decisions in this area, we have to strike a balance between ensuring that we have an adequate number of rental properties and trying to improve the energy rating of those properties.

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