I cannot understand why the Government would oppose us on this amendment and why the Government would not want the strongest, most robust and most independent regulator in terms of building works. That is what this amendment seeks to do. By opposing this amendment, it means not only will the public not have confidence in the building register but we will not get a strong, robust and independent regulator, which is badly needed. Having to explain why that is badly needed, it seems patently obvious that everyone here…

I have to agree with that. There is nothing in the Minister of State's response that is in any way convincing on this. The one rationale given was that there is advice that we cannot name the entity in the legislation. Therefore, the Minister of State could accept amendment No. 6, which would prohibit the CIF and does not actually name the entity. He has told the Dáil and, frankly, I find this absolutely absurd, that the entity will be independent and it will be the Construction Industry Federation. It is not possi…

I will speak specifically to amendment No. 19, but I am supportive of the other amendments in this group. My amendment seeks representation on the board from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, but also from other specific groups such as the Construction Defects Alliance. That we would not have representation from homeowners and people who have been at the coalface of dealing with building defects and have suffered in that regard is indefensible. They should be represented on this board. There is another point I wa…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am not clear however. Is the intention that five members, which is half the board, would still be nominated by the registration body, which in this case, based on his comments, will be the CIF? Is he looking at reviewing that?

Okay. So the Minister of State is looking at that element of it.

It is extremely important. The board cannot be independent if at the same time half of its members are from the Construction Industry Federation.

I move amendment No. 19: In page 20, to delete lines 31 to 35, and in page 21, to delete lines 1 to 3 and substitute the following: “(b) 5 persons who are nominated for such appointment by the following bodies: (i) the Irish Congress of Trade Unions; (ii) the National Building Control Office; (iii) the Construction Defects Alliance; (iv) the Construction Industry Federation; (v) the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, all of whom, in the view of the nominating body, have the experience, skill and knowledge nece…

I move amendment No. 24: In page 36, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “(a) evidence that the applicant is eligible for latent defects insurance, and”. This amendment is on registration and it seeks to require that any builder would have to provide evidence that he or she is eligible for latent defects insurance. At the committee it was correctly pointed out that latent defects insurance is required for each job and that in order to register, a builder would not necessarily be in possession of such …

I move amendment No. 25: In page 36, line 19, to delete “10 years” and substitute “25 years”.

I move amendment No. 26: In page 36, line 29, to delete “10 years” and substitute “25 years”.

As the rental crisis deepens there are reports that some landlords have attempted to exploit vulnerable renters by demanding sex in lieu of rent. One young woman who has been propositioned three times in the last couple of months while she was trying to find somewhere safe to live told the Irish Examiner that trying to find somewhere to rent in Dublin is like falling into a dangerous hell. In the last week there have been reports of individuals trying to exploit Ukrainian women with demands of sex in lieu of rent. …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to create an offence of requiring or accepting sex as a condition of accommodation and an offence of arranging or facilitating the requirement or acceptance of sex as a condition of accommodation. This Bill seeks to introduce a specific criminal offence for the practice of demanding sex in lieu of rent. It will also create a specific offence for the advertising of sex in lieu of rent, both for individuals placing such advertisements and also for anyo…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

There is already a serious problem with tenants being evicted due to renovations, and grants for retrofitting should not lead to tenants being evicted or rent increases. The retrofitting scheme is very welcome, but public money should not incentivise evictions or rent increases. What measures specifically will be introduced to prevent this happening and will there be changes to the legislation governing the sector to prevent this?

I thank the Minister of State for the reply, but all the information he provided is available, almost word for word, on the RTB website. This is a problem and this public money could be used to incentivise evictions and rent increases. Under current rules, there is an onus on the tenant to make a complaint. Tenants often are not offered their tenancies back in such circumstances. Will a change in legislation be introduced to protect tenants and stop this from happening, ensuring that a tenancy will continue unless …

I am bringing up a matter of specific evictions. The Minister acknowledged before that there have been evictions arising from renovations and it has been a problem. He acknowledged it here in the Chamber while I was present. I am seeking to find out what the Government is looking to do to protect tenants in such a position. Saying the current provisions will not be changed is not good enough. We should not have any position where public money could be used to incentivise evictions. The chairman of the RTB, Mr. Tom …

Often, it is not offered back.

I ask the Minister what is being done to address the apparent practice where a very small number of landlords are looking for sex in return for rent. It is an absolutely abhorrent practice which I am sure all of us condemn outright. Is the Minister bringing specific legislation forward to criminalise this or what approach is he taking?

I thank the Minister for the update on the work that is taking place. The stories are completely heart-breaking. I would not be able to read them to the House and I do not think that I need to, as everyone understands the seriousness of the issue. I am glad that it is being worked on and there is no question but that there need to be changes in the legislation in the residential tenancies sector. If a complaint is made against a landlord and they are found to be doing this they should be struck off as a landlord an…

I thank the Minister for that answer. I ask that the Minister confirm as soon as possible that he will bring in legislation by way of criminal charges and that landlords would be struck off. Both measures are needed. I do not think that there will be any discussion or debate around that. The quicker the Minister does that the better. We do not know the scale of this. One of the reasons why this is the case is that there is no specific legislation that specifies this as a criminal offence. An Garda, for example, doe…