Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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34. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will introduce rent controls; if so, the form they would take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18471/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015, enacted on 4 December 2015, introduced a number of measures to address rent stability. The Act provides, inter alia,that the minimum period between rent reviews for tenancies is increased from 12 to 24 months and this new provision will apply for a 4 year period. In addition, the Act increased the minimum period of notice of new rent from 28 days to 90 days. Each of these new provisions commenced on enactment. Further provisions to support rent stability in the 2015 Act include that a notice of new rent must be in the prescribed form, include details of dispute resolution procedures available through the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and be accompanied by details of the rent sought in respect of 3 comparable dwellings in the area.

The rental market in Ireland has grown significantly in recent years and now accounts for around 20% of total Irish households. In Dublin rents are now back to 2007 peak levels. The most recent RTB rent index shows that in the first quarter of 2016, rents were 8.6% higher nationally than in the same quarter of 2015. Data for Q1 2016 show that rents have continued to increase, although the rate of growth slowed in most sectors.

Ultimately, the key to addressing rising rents in the medium to long term is through increasing the supply of housing. Housing is an absolute priority for this Government and, accordingly, a key priority of the Programme for a Partnership Government is the preparation and publication of an ‘Action Plan for Housing’within the Government’s first 100 days. The Action Plan will be drafted with input from a number of key Departments, and will draw on the work of the Special Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness, which submitted its final report to the Dáil on 17 June 2016.

In addition, the Programme for a Partnership Government also contains a specific commitment to review the regulatory regime for the rented sector to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between the rights, interests and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords.