Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach speaks of balance. Thousands of families are homeless at Christmas time and the clear profit of landlords is up by more than €1 billion, yet the Taoiseach speaks of balance. That is really quite incredible.

Will the package that is published next Tuesday be debated in this House before we break for Christmas, because it should be? The Government currently has a Bill going through the House which seeks to limit to 19 the number of households a landlord might evict at any one time. That is scandalous. The number should be zero. I do not say a landlord should not be allowed to sell a property, but the law should state that if he or she does so, the tenant should remain in place. When the Bill went to the Seanad, Opposition Senators got it amended and reduced the number from 19 down to five. I understand the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, is seriously considering trying to increase the number back up from five to ten. Could the Taoiseach confirm or deny that is the case?

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