Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is something that we can look at in the legislation. We have been involved in some of the Union of Students in Ireland campaigns such as the Home for Study campaign. We have seen cases of properties that are not suitable to be advertised that were taken down. The last time I checked there were a couple of hundred rooms or properties to rent. There are other solutions for students there but the Senator is correct about overcrowding and we can look at that specifically in the legislation that it is not advertised.

On checks, if people are renting a property, be they a student or otherwise, if they believe that it is not in satisfactory condition there are regulations. The local authorities do respond when they are asked to check out properties. The difficulty is that a tenant must name the landlord before the inspectors respond. Under the changes being brought forward, the Residential Tenancies Board will be able to inspect a property or a tenancy agreement without being notified by the tenant so that the Senator or I could report it and the inspectors can come in and do the work and the tenant is not in the firing line. That will be helpful in securing the information because we hear stories but cannot back them up because we have not had the evidence handed to us. The legislation will provide that there is a better way to do that.

I have answered the questions of most of Members who are here, others have come and gone, but I will also write to Members specifically regarding their questions. I thoroughly believe, as does the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, that we have a good plan which is delivering on housing. I know that some people want more, we all do, but we do not want thousands of people homeless today. However, we must increase the supply of housing literally week by week. It is the only way we will ever get on top of this. That is what this plan does. Week by week it brings in new housing.It is social housing. It is affordable or subsidised housing but it is also private sector housing because we do want to see that. In addition, it is right to say that this year over 20,000 houses will be built and next year over 25,000 will be built. That is a long way away from where we were three years ago when the number was fewer than 7,000 units. We are on the right track and the trends are all right. However, we are the first to admit that that number is not enough when thousands of people need a house so we have to keep going and pushing on. That is why, even though we had a lot of money secured for our multi-annual housing budgets, we keep pushing for more every year and that is why we got more this year. The increase in the housing budget was over €500 million. That is an extra €60 million or €70 million before Christmas and €470 million or €480 million thereafter as well. That is an increase in money. We recognise that even with all that we are doing, we still have to do more to catch up and we will keep doing that as quickly as we possibly can.

I am conscious that some Senators wanted me to discuss pyrite but I will not do it now as they are not here. I will forward a specific note on the matter.