Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

"Live horse and you'll get grass" comes to mind. The Minister burying her head in the sand and saying that everything is fine and that everything will be fine is madness. It is not sustainable. It breaks the social contract between the State and its citizens and it is already creating serious difficulties. It will create much more serious difficulties in the future unless it is stopped. Surely the recent record homeless figures and the chaos in the rental sector alone would indicate that we have a housing and homelessness emergency. We know that the rental market in Ireland provides no security of tenure, is completely unaffordable and is generally of poor quality. We know that 57% of notices to quit are found to be invalid and that the biggest reason for notices to quit properties is that the properties are being sold. As a result, tenants are being evicted and invariably find themselves falling into homelessness. That has been indicated by all the agencies. Surely it is time to cry "Stop" and to declare statutorily a housing and homelessness emergency.

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