Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend the last speaker on speaking out about people who would spit or cough into anybody's face. I am in full agreement that the full rigours of the law should be brought to bear on those people. Where people are under age, the responsibility should be on their parents. I have seen at first hand people walking down streets thinking it is funny to cough and spit when they see people coming towards them. Do they not realise it affects all ages and that it will be brought home? I support the Deputy on that.

I wish to declare that I am a small-time building contractor and have been since 1993. I welcome the rent freeze and the provisions regarding evictions in the Bill. However, I am also a member of many school boards and bring my experience with the different schools that are being built around Limerick at present.

Provisions for their construction need to be made between the Department and the schools, and for contractors that are on deadlines to complete schools such as Coláiste Chiarán in Croom, which was due to be finished soon. If such buildings close because of social distancing, the contracts will have to be extended and provision will have to be made in order that the schools and the contractors will not be put in a position whereby the schools cannot open when this crisis subsides. Measures also need to be introduced for people whose houses are being built by contractors waiting to be able to get into the houses. They should not face the same regulation. In the case of people who have rented a house for at least 12 months while they wait for their house to be built, if their lease ends within the 12 months, they should be able to continue to rent the property where they live and their lease should be extended.

I have received many calls in recent weeks from parents who are separated and who share visiting rights. I have heard of a couple of cases of people who are now living with their parents and cannot fulfil their agreement with the courts. Their children cannot visit because their grandparents are elderly, and they are unable to rent a house because the provisions are not in place. We also need to protect such people in order that they will not be deemed by the courts to have broken their agreement. They are protecting the elderly and we need to protect them.

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