Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I reassure him there will be ample opportunity to debate the wider medium-term and long-term issues in terms of housing in the Seanad in the coming weeks.

The private rented sector is an important element of the housing market, with the proportion of households in the sector almost doubling in the period 2006-2011. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 is currently before the Oireachtas and will amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to provide for the inclusion of the approved housing body, AHB, sector within the remit of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, the introduction of a new procedure to deal with non-payment of rent, and the introduction of a tenancy deposit protection scheme. The Bill is due to return to Seanad for Committee Stage in the coming weeks when I look forward to further debate.

I recognise that rent increases, especially in Dublin and the other major cities, are leading to difficulties for lower income households. A shortage of supply is at the heart of rising rents and the Government is addressing this on a number of fronts. Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector, published last year, is aimed at addressing issues in the property and construction sectors and ensuring that any bottlenecks that might impede the sector in meeting residential and non-residential demand are addressed. This evening I will introduce the Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015 in the Dáil. I look forward to debating this Bill also in this House in the coming weeks. It will be a further opportunity for more engaged debate.

Addressing the supply shortfall in housing will take time but in the period since the publication of Construction 2020, some welcome signs of recovery in the sector have become evident. Particularly notable in this regard is the increase in the number of house completions in 2014 to more than 11,000 units nationally - an increase of 33% on the 2013 figure. The latest figures for new house completions show that 2,629 units were completed in the first three months of 2015, up 26% on the corresponding figure for the first quarter of 2014.

In respect of planning applications and projects in the system, there was a 29% increase in the first five months of this year in comparison with the same period last year. Also, there are 3,500 commencement notices for projects submitted nationally. Social housing is a key priority for the Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in budget 2015 and the publication of the social housing strategy 2020. The strategy provides the basis for a concerted and co-ordinated approach to social housing provision and contains an action plan with detailed objectives and timelines. It also includes a commitment to developing a national policy on the private rented sector aimed at increasing investment in and supporting the supply of good quality, secure and affordable accommodation in the sector.

The National Economic and Social Council report, Ireland's Rental Sector: Pathways to Secure Occupancy and Affordable Supply, which was published last month, is a welcome and timely contribution to the debate around the rental sector. The report calls for more secure occupancy for tenants, including greater rent certainty as well as measures to increase the supply of rental housing. The recommendations put forward in this report will be considered carefully in the context of framing any measures in respect of the rental market. My overriding objective is to achieve stability and sustainability in the market for the benefit of tenants, landlords and society as a whole.