For many reasons. It is not as simple as that and the Deputy knows it-----

-----but it does not suit his narrative.

We have made a responsible decision in the interests of the public.

I thank Deputy Smith for the question. As he knows, the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was a time-limited enactment which provided for a stay on eviction notices up to 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023. In terms of the longer term, my Department has commenced a major review of the private rented sector to ensure that the sector is put on a sound footing, which provides certainty f…

On the last question the Deputy asked, and looking at the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, DRHE, data over the period of the eviction ban, homelessness stabilised. It did increase in some areas. The biggest single reason for that - about 25% of those presenting as homeless - was relationship breakdowns, and not due to other issues. The data are all published and are available.

Deputy Ó Broin might try to behave himself. I am answering Deputy Smith, who has put a very valid question here.

What we are doing is that we have acquired about 600 properties from July. There was a target of 200 for 2022. As Deputy Smith knows from dealing with constituents in our area, once the council enters into those negotiations there is a conveyancing period to close the sale. Some local authorities have been using figures of closed sales only, ignoring the fact that there are others in process. That is the important thing. Knowing that the council will purchase the home gives the tenant the security. I will come back…

We do not have projections for the coming months, but if we look at when notices to quit are issued, they do not directly correlate into homelessness figures. The same number of notices to quit do not exactly match the numbers going into emergency homeless accommodation. There is movement within the market already. As I said earlier, we have a made a difficult decision, but it is the correct one in the medium term. We have lost thousands of tenancies from the private rental market in the last six or seven years. We…

I thank the Deputy for raising this most important issue. As he will know, I received Government approval on 18 January to draft legislation to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. I know the Deputy agrees that the legislation we need will provide a statutory basis for the establishment of a remediation scheme aimed at protecting the safety and welfare of those l…

As the Deputy will know, the Government decision is focused directly on multi-unit developments, apartments and duplexes initially, because that is where the predominance of the issue is. We have to focus, first and foremost, on fire safety because that is public safety. I can say, and I am happy to say it on the record of the Dáil again, that retrospective costs that deal with the fundamentals of the scheme around fire safety, water ingress and structural issues will be covered. They will not cover maintenance if …

To be clear, based on the surveys and the work done by the working group, about 14% of properties have been remediated already. Where those remediation works fall under the objectives of the scheme relating to fire safety, water ingress and structural issues - to be very clear - those costs will be covered. It obviously has to be certified work carried out by professionals and certified on a fire safety basis. That has worked quite well. Those works will absolutely be covered.

If the building is from between 1991 and 2013, it falls in the scheme. I have not set a backstop date as such. If the works were done before a certain date I want those to be included.

We have seen a significant increase in applications to that scheme for defective concrete blocks. Anyone who applies now for stage 1 or stage 2 approvals will get the uplift of the new defective concrete blocks scheme.

We need to pass the legislation. Co-operation across the House on this has been very good. Having legislation in place is a priority because we need bespoke legislation. People should not pause the works that they are doing or contracting because they are now safe in the knowledge that those costs will be covered

As the Deputy will be aware, a very ambitious programme of delivery of affordable housing - the first in at least 15 years - commenced in 2022. Under the schemes introduced via the Affordable Housing Act 2021, this saw significant delivery of cost-rental homes for the first time by approved housing bodies and also by one local authority that is expanding further. That was using the cost rental equity loan. The first cost-rental and affordable purchase homes were also delivered via the LDA, and the first affordable …

I agree with the Deputy. In the interests of co-operation, I will not highlight the fact that we have different views on affordable housing and how it is delivered. The first home scheme was the main deliverer last year. I can be quite specific on those approvals because I get that data on a weekly basis. Up to the Friday before last, there were approximately 1,100 first home approvals. That covers last year and the start of this year. Up to the end of last year, there were approximately 750 approvals, that is, equ…

I receive the first home data in real time. There is a good ICT system behind that. It is run by the First Home Scheme Ireland Designated Activity Company. We see the approvals nearly every week, which is why I can be very specific on that matter. I cannot be as specific in relation to the others because affordable purchase and cost rental, through the different delivery models, are being verified right now. I can tell the Deputy approximately 1,000 cost-rental homes have been approved. I cannot tell the Deputy rig…

I was saying the Deputy voted against the legislation.

All the delivery mechanisms on affordable housing are facilitated by the Affordable Housing Act 2021----

-----which the Deputy's party opposed.