Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

The housing (miscellaneous provisions) Bill will allow local authorities to sell flats if the courts so decide, thus allowing tenants, some of 40 years' standing, to buy their rented dwelling. The difficulty caused by the delay in introducing the legislation is that the cost of housing is increasing by an estimated 10% per annum and the prices of the dwellings in question are becoming prohibitive for such tenants. The Bill also proposes to give local authorities the right to deal with anti-social behaviour as part of what the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform describes as his efforts to create a safer society. When will the Bill come before the House? Must we wait a further three years?

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