Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy said, this is a balance we have to strike. There are some cases in which people make the lives of the people who live around them a misery. As the Deputy will be aware, we will make it easier in the residential tenancies Bill in that the person living next door would not have to directly confront the people causing the problem because, for example, a residents' association would be able to do it on his or her behalf.

I am in the course of preparing the housing Bill, which will be published and debated here before the summer recess. We will address the issue covered in section 62 of the Housing Act, which was found to be in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights.

There are individual cases, as the Deputy said, that are distressing for the people concerned, but it is a question of getting the balance right. In the small number of cases in which people cause misery to their neighbours, we must have a mechanism in place to address that. We will have an opportunity to debate these issues when the housing Bill comes before the House.

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