Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. She is aware that there is an urgent need for the District Court or an independent authority to judge each case on its merits and to be able to question the reason an eviction is being sought and not to merely give such decisions a rubber stamp, as was the case previously.

While we accept that evictions might take place for good reasons, such as anti-social behaviour, it is imperative that such mechanisms go through a robust legal process and are judged on that basis. The previous system was most unfair in that the decision was processed through the courts and could not be challenged, and there was no input from residents or tenants. No mechanism existed to scrutinise each case and examine it on its merits.

I agree with the recent Constitutional Convention recommendation that housing should be a right. We must have a proper procedure in place in the case of families being evicted. We must put in place a mechanism to deal with that and to follow up families in such circumstances. Being evicted should not mean a person or family will end up homeless, and we must deal with such families in a proper way. That is the crux of the issue. Like others, I have experience of neighbours who cause major trouble in their areas and whom local authorities have sought to evict. I do not want a system that involves a rubber stamp; I want a proper, legal mechanism to deal with such situations. It is extremely important that such a system be above reproach and not involve hearsay.

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