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Minister Murphy appoints Mr Thomas Dunne as Chair of the Residential Tenancies Board

Minister Eoghan Murphy announced on the 23 October 2019 that Mr. Thomas Dunne has been appointed as Chair of the Residential Tenancies Board, to take over from Ms. Catriona Walsh. Mr. Dunne was appointed as Chair designate on 1 October 2019 following the expiration of Ms Walsh’s second term of appointment on 30 September 2019.

Mr. Dunne is a Chartered Surveyor and served as Head of the School of Surveying and Construction Management at the Dublin Institute of Technology from 1997 to 2019. He was previously the founding Chair of the RTB from 2004 to 2009 and his early involvement in the Residential Tenancies legislation coupled with his continuing interest in the sector gives him significant insight into the rental market.

In making the announcement the Minister stated

Mr. Dunne is an excellent candidate for the position of Chair in that he possesses the requisite skill set and experience both in terms of corporate governance and strategic leadership to deliver in this critically important role. The RTB plays a significant role in supporting the delivery of the vision for the sector reflected in Rebuilding Ireland and the Strategy for the Rental Sector, and is crucial to the development and support of a well-functioning rental housing sector.

As is normal practice with such proposed appointments to State Boards, the Department previously notified the Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government of the Minister’s intention to appoint Mr. Dunne to the post of Chair of the Residential Tenancies Board. The Committee subsequently invited the Chair designate to appear before them and thereafter submit its views on the proposed appointment to the Minister for his consideration, prior to the Minister making the formal appointment.

In concluding, the Minister added

I would also like to place on record the Government’s and my own sincere thanks and appreciation to  Ms. Catriona Walsh for the manner in which she has professionally guided the Residential Tenancies Board  through her term in office, which has coincided with a very difficult period for the housing sector generally.

During Ms. Walsh’s six year term, the RTB has evolved and has responsibility for the direct implementation of legislation and Government policy relating to the rental housing sector. Demand in the rental sector is high and will be strong into the future.  The sector has doubled in size over the course of the last 20 years. At the end of 2018, there were approximately 337,000 tenancies registered with the RTB. These figures show that the overall size and scale of the sector is still larger than ever and makes up a significant component of housing tenures in Ireland.