Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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53. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline his plans to reduce rising rents in counties Roscommon and Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53471/23]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware of the significant increase in average rent in County Donegal, according to the ESRI and the Residential Tenancies Board new renters in County Donegal are paying almost 30% more each month than existing tenants; if the Government have any plans to deal with this significant increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54082/23]

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government what actions he plans to take to constrain the exorbitant rise in private rental prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54168/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 53, 59 and 74 together.

The Government’s Housing for All plan is focused on tackling supply and affordability issues, including those in the rental market. The plan contains targets, actions and guaranteed State investment in housing aimed at increasing supply, which in turn will help increase access to affordable rental housing. Budget 2024 allocates €5.1 billion of funding to continue the vital work in progress under Housing for All and supports extra supply coming on stream. Budget 2024 also introduced further supports for those taxpayers who are paying rent on their principal private residence, with an increase of the Rent Tax Credit to €750.

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) Rent Index is designed to measure developments in rental prices faced by those taking up new tenancies in the private rental sector and for the first time utilising Annual Registration data, existing tenancy rent price developments. The Rent Index report is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector in Ireland. Compared to other market monitoring reports produced for the Irish rental sector, the RTB/ESRI Rent Index has the considerable benefit of being based on regulatory data covering all new tenancy registrations regardless of how the property was advertised for rent.

The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 taking account of the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords, introduced a targeted Rent Predictability Measure to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. Rent controls are applied on the basis of the objective evidence available via the RTB Quarterly Rent Index Report. Currently, 77% of tenancies across the country are subject to rent controls.

Section 24A of the Residential Tenancies Act provides that the Housing Agency, in consultation with housing authorities, may make a proposal to me, as Minister, that an area should be considered as a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ). Following receipt of such a proposal, I, as Minister, request the Director of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to conduct an assessment of the area to establish whether or not it meets the criteria for designation and to report to me on whether the area should be designated as a RPZ.

The criteria to be satisfied by an area under section 24A(4) of the Acts for designation as an RPZ are as follows:

• the information relating to the area, as determined by reference to the information used to compile each RTB Rent Index quarterly report, shows that the annual rate of increase in the average amount of rent for that area is more than 7% in each of at least 4 of the 6 quarters preceding the period immediately prior to the date of the Housing Agency's proposal, and
• the average rent for the area in the last quarter, as determined by reference to the information used to compile each RTB Rent Index quarterly report, is –
  • in the case of counties Kildare, Meath and Wicklow or a local electoral area (LEA) in any one of those counties, above the average rent in the State, excluding rents in the four Dublin Local Authority areas, or
  • in the case of any LEA outside of the Greater Dublin Area (i.e. Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow), above the average rent in the State excluding rents in the Greater Dublin Area.