Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions. The first relates to rent pressure zones and the question of evictions. There is a 4% cap but, as we all know, there are landlords who are exploiting a loophole to get around that 4% cap. They are using the loophole of so-called substantial refurbishment as a way to jack up rents way beyond the 4%, evicting people in the process. One such example, of which the Minister will be aware, is the case of the residents of the Leeside Apartments in Cork. Some 20 low-income families are currently facing eviction at the hands of a vulture fund. The vulture fund is engaged in a substantial refurbishment of the complex and is using it as an excuse to get people out the door. The agenda, however, is to jack up rents, possibly going as far as to double them. At least ten of these cases are currently before the Residential Tenancies Board. The residents and their supporters in the city, who are many, sincerely hope that the board will rule in favour of the residents and against the notices to quit and that the guidelines handed down late last year will assist the board in doing so. The Minister stated in the Dáil that if the guidelines are not sufficient, he would be in favour of the introduction of legislation which would increase protection for tenants in this situation. I have two questions on that. First, can the Minister provide a little more detail about the character of that legislation? Second, should there be a need for such legislation to be introduced - although I believe it is already necessary - on the basis of a negative ruling, is the Minister in a position to give an undertaking that he will bring in legislation in such a way as to protect those particular residents so that they are not thrown to the wolves and told that it is too late and that nothing can be done at this stage?

My second question relates to HAP. The current position is that if an individual or household receives HAP, his, her or their name is removed from the local authority housing waiting list. They are kept on the transfer list but the Minister and I know that the transfer list moves very slowly, even more slowly than the housing waiting lists. It is understandable that a significant number of families resist accepting HAP because they do not want their names to be taken off the housing waiting list and want to hold out for local authority housing rather than being left in private rented accommodation for ever or at least for a long time. It is also the experience of public representatives and councillors that a significant portion of people who are given HAP return to homelessness because landlords terminate agreements and move on, perhaps when they feel they can make more money. People are made homeless again. As part of this review, is the Minister prepared to change the position whereby HAP recipients are taken off housing waiting lists in order to allow them to remain on local authority waiting lists and to receive genuine social housing as opposed to HAP, which we all know is not the real deal?