Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. I note the Minister of State has been spending quite a bit of time in Seanad Éireann in recent weeks, debating the various issues and challenges society currently faces. At the outset, I too want to recognise the purpose of the Bill, which is to try to address the concerns regarding short-term letting and the impact it is having on residential tenancies. I acknowledge the work of Senator Humphreys whom I recognise is well placed in terms of his experience of representing urban areas. He is based in Dublin city centre. I know he is very much on top of issues that are very current. The impact of short-term letting on sustaining residential tenancies is certainly an issue of concern. I too recognise that.

I know, as does the Minister of State and I think everyone in this House, that supply of housing stock is currently a major issue. There is a finite stock. I want to recognise the Rebuilding Ireland programme that is currently under way and the priority it is being given within Government. It is now beginning to show real progress in terms of delivery of units at various levels. I will leave it to the Minister of State to outline to the House the progress Rebuilding Ireland is making in terms of increasing the housing stock, increasing the availability of units for letting and making more units available to meet the demand. This week we heard that 1,000 jobs will be created in Dublin by Amazon. That brings added pressure on accommodation and tenancies. Students announced that one of their main issues is the cost of student accommodation. These are real pressures in an economy that is recovering and growing. It is creating a demand that we really need to meet. We have to recognise that we must leverage the full potential of existing housing stock for long-term sustainable tenancies where at all possible. I acknowledge that the Government has established a working group to closely examine the issue of the rental market and tenancies, including short-term letting. I am conscious that this is a democracy and that citizens' property rights must be taken into account. We need to respect individuals' property rights and be careful that we do not impede their constitutional rights. That said, the focus of the Bill is correctly on the use and designation of properties. From a planning perspective it is the proper way to focus in on the use of property so it is being used in the best way possible to meet societal demands. I am interested to hear the Minister of State's response to this debate regarding how he sees the working group, where it is at and whether there are any recommendations on what we should do as a result of its recommendations.

Senator Bacik quite rightly mentioned the squeezed middle. We should recognise that the Government is putting in place substantial funding for social housing. We are beginning to see a lot of the vacant housing stock being returned to use. We are also beginning to see many of the local authorities getting back to building again. That is something they were not doing for many years. With the assistance of the housing agencies, the number of units is increasing substantially and that is to be welcomed. Having said that, however, I agree with Senator Bacik about the squeezed middle. People who do not qualify for social housing and who are struggling to qualify for mortgages or meet rising rents are falling between stools. I know that the Minister of State will take this into account and that the Government will look at the area of affordable, sustainable rental solutions. The latter need to be long-term and sustainable in order that people might remain in the tenancies. A great deal of legislation is being introduced, especially in the context of rent pressure zones, in order to try to address that particular issue. There is capacity for Government to assist that cohort.

I mentioned Amazon earlier and the 1,000 jobs that are to be created. That is only one example. In September, when students come back to college, there will be increased pressure to try to find suitable accommodation in Dublin and in other large urban centres. We face a huge challenge in terms of meeting existing accommodation needs in Dublin and in other cities and large towns in order to allow them to function normally. It is important that we think outside the box. It is important that we all continue to search for solutions. None of us has a monopoly on solutions and ideas. We all have a role to play in offering solutions. This Bill is one of those solutions. It recognises the demand and the growing trend whereby long-term tenancies are being eroded in favour of short-term lettings for tourism and financial gain.

The debate is welcome because it focuses our minds as policymakers and that of the Minister of State as a decision maker. It also focuses the minds of the officials in the Department. We always have to look around the corner. We always have to be out there searching for small interventions that can make a big difference. Senator Humphreys mentioned the thousands of units that could come back into use if changes were made to regulating short-term lettings.

I welcome the debate and the Bill. I know the Minister of State will elaborate further on the fact the Government is not opposing the Bill on Second Stage. That is a recognition that this is an issue. Senator Humphreys acknowledged that fact. I also welcome that the Senator is willing to work with the Minister and his officials on the wording of the Bill and on amendments that might be needed to make it more effective or efficient. That is the way parliaments should work and I welcome the manner in which the Senator has approached the matter. I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's reply and other contributions.