Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I disagree that it was blatantly obvious at the time it was introduced that it was going to have an impact on the private rental sector. We are not even sure at present that it is having an impact. There may be issues in respect of it. It is hard to definitively establish that. We are ensuring it will not be able to affect the private rental sector because we are going to limit eligibility for the ARP to properties that are not rental properties. That will ensure it will not have any distorting impact on the private rental sector. We also reduced the fee from €800 to €600 per month in respect of individuals giving goodwill accommodation. We also need to recognise, when you look at the number of people accommodated under the ARP - at present, it is about 41,500 - if it fell apart, if it was taken away and if there was no ARP, where would those people be accommodated? The Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, and I are trying to insist that if people with temporary protection are working, they have to pay for their own accommodation. There are people who will still need to be provided with State accommodation. This is probably the cheapest mechanism available at present.

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