Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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41. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will review of the provisions in the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 that relate to rent pressure zones, in view of the evidence that rent levels are rising substantially; the effect on excluded areas in view of the fact that the onus is on vulnerable tenants to report breaches of the rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24785/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The existing rent pressure zones were designated because they meet the criteria required under the Act, which are: (i) that rents are above the national average, and (ii) that rent price inflation has been 7% or more in four of the last six quarters. Other areas, including those adjoining and surrounding rent pressure zones, do not meet the criteria for designation and therefore have not been designated. The Housing Agency will continue to monitor the situation and may recommend further areas for designation. If future rent rises mean that new areas meet the criteria, they will be designated as rent pressure zones.

The pressures in the rental market are borne out by the data published recently by Daft.ie, showing that rent asking prices rose nationwide by an average 13.4% in the year to March 2017. However, the report also shows that rent inflation in Dublin has slowed over the last quarter. This is an early indication that the Rent Predictability Measure is having the desired effect.

A review of the Rent Predictability Measure will be carried out next month. At that point, the provisions will have been in place for 6 months, data from the Residential Tenancies Board’s Rent Index Report for Quarter 1 2017 will be available, and it will be possible to ascertain the effectiveness of the Rent Predictability Measure and whether any changes need to be made.