Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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64. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to prevent landlords from citing intended sale of a property as a reason to evict tenants in a manner that would benefit all tenants and not only those in large developments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28721/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In publishing Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Government has set out a practical and readily implementable set of actions to create a functioning and sustainable housing system. The Plan is available at the website www.rebuildingireland.ie. The Plan is divided into five pillars, with each targeting a specific area of the housing system for attention. Pillar 4 of the Plan commits to developing a comprehensive strategy for the rental sector in Q4 2016. The strategy will be structured around 4 key areas: security, standards, supply and services. In developing the strategy all measures to promote long term tenancies and provide for increased security of tenure will be explored. One of the specific measures that will fall to be considered under the heading of security is the scope for a move to indefinite leases, replacing the Part 4 four-year tenancy, and measures that may be necessary to encourage landlords to waive their right to terminate a tenancy in the event of the sale of the property. A public consultation process will also be undertaken shortly in order to inform the development of the strategy.

The overarching objective of the strategy will be to increase supply and support the development of a stable, strong and viable rental sector offering choice for households and investment opportunities for providers, while reflecting the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords.