My question relates to the implementation of the so-called Tyrrelstown amendment, which is aimed at preventing mass evictions of tenants by landlords seeking to sell with vacant possession. There is a terrible situation in Tallaght, which may be one of the first tests of the legislation. In Exchange Hall, more than ten families have received eviction notices. They are mostly people who work in Tallaght Hospital next door, they rely on a network for support of one another, and if they are evicted, they will find it very difficult to find other affordable accommodation. It is clear that the landlord's motive is greed and that it is seeking to maximise profit and selling price by selling with vacant possession, given that the properties are being advertised as such. The tenants are correctly organising and refusing to be evicted, and they will make a complaint to the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. Does the Taoiseach agree that the eviction notices should be withdrawn, and does he consider it appropriate that the tenants should be forced to approach the RTB to prevent the landlord from breaking the law?

The RTB exists to adjudicate on tenants' rights and landlords' rights when there is a dispute. There was recently an adjudication on the Tyrrelstown amendment, in which its interpretation and intention were shown to be robust and the amendment was deemed to work. Of the two thresholds that needed to be met, one passed because it was found that it would result in a significant decrease in the value of the property if it was unable to be sold, but in the case of the other threshold it was found that it did not necessitate undue hardship on the person selling the property. While the amendment is relatively new, in the first test it has undergone it has been shown to be successful. Nevertheless, we must keep it under review to ensure that it continues to work in the different cases that arise in the future.