Mr. Mike Allen:

The banks have the right to sell up and to evict. We have argued - this applies in Northern Ireland and in other jurisdictions - that in the case of a property bought as a buy-to-let property, in respect of many of which tax relief was in the past obtained from the State, the players are not only the lender and the landlord, but the State, the public interest and the tenant and that as such it is entirely legitimate to provide that just because a property is being sold that it is not a reason to terminate an existing tenant. The tenancy should continue in the same way as it does in commercial property. Currently, we provide families with less protection than we do businesses. The aforementioned proposal was put, by way of amendment, to the Bill but the then Government parties voted it down, the reason for which I do not know. There might be good as to why they did so but they were not explained to us. It is very hard to find proposals that will make a difference in this area. There are probably only three or four such proposals, one of which I have just outlined. If there are good reasons, which we are unaware of, why this cannot be done we ask that people be, at least, made aware of it.