Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As we are in the Christmas season it is appropriate that we once again seek solutions that are practical and worthy of implementation. Bills put before this House should not just be ideological statements of principle. Our housing crisis is far too serious for that. Our national housing crisis deserves solutions that have a chance of being implemented and would provide help to those experiencing homelessness due to unaffordable rents and the sale of rental properties.

Unfortunately, this Bill does not do that. While it is titled as an anti-eviction Bill and I accept the genuine intentions of those behind it, the reality is that the Bill if enacted would certainly be contested in the courts. Between now and the judgment on the constitutionality of the Bill, there would be a massive market reaction. Owners of rental properties would immediately leave the market in large numbers. An anti-eviction Bill would in the real world outside this Chamber become an eviction Bill. Thousands of families would find themselves being issued notice to quit because of this Bill.

However, I have great sympathy for the intentions behind this Bill. There is abuse of the sale-of-property reason to get rid of tenants. This is contributing to homelessness and we need to be resolute in ensuring that rental properties are affordable and available for those who need them.

The introduction of six months’ rent in compensation is an unprecedented burden on all landlords, 86% of whom have two properties or less and many of whom are working their way out of negative equity. This proposal, therefore, would in many cases be unjustified and unaffordable. In reality it would substantially reduce the number of rental homes available just when we need every single rental home we can get.

We in Fianna Fáil are working on a solution to reduce the use of the sale-of-property reason to end viable tenancies. We need to be smart in our solutions. We need to introduce radical measures, but they need to be capable of working in the real world where property owners have rights enshrined in law.

Earlier my party leader outlined his responsible role in these crisis-ridden times to ensure the stability of Government for the coming year because of Brexit. Earlier the politics-as-usual brigade began its negative spinning about this principled decision that puts our nation before short-term political gain. The people are rightly angered at the Government's tardy response to the housing crisis. Everyone in this Chamber is committed to ensuring that we act as opposed to just commenting on the housing crisis. Having an election and the reality of coalition or minority Government talks would only serve to delay the introduction of solutions to our housing and rental crisis.

All the Members of this House were elected in the full knowledge that we have a national housing crisis. I ask them to act accordingly and in the spirit of our times to act collectively in the national interest with practical and radical measures to address our housing crisis. That would be public service worthy of the name. Unfortunately, this Bill, while worthy, is simply not a public service that will work.

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