Vol. 470 No. 4
152 Mr. Briscoe asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the declining number of private rented accommodation units and the increasing difficulty single and young persons, particularly students, are encountering in finding such accommodation; the plans or incentives, if any, he intends to introduce to increase the availability of such accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19265/96]
I am aware of recent media reports claiming that there has been a decline in the availability of private rented accommodation in Dublin. While there may, for a variety of reasons, have been some loss of older private rented units in recent years, there has also been a significant increase in the number of new apartments, particularly in areas designated for urban renewal incentives, in which about 50 per cent of the new units are rented. Apart from these incentives, I have no proposals, at this stage, to introduce other measures in relation to the provision of private rented accommodation.
