Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the provisions of the section, namely, that there will be no evictions and that there will be a rent freeze. They are limited, however, and like Deputy Bríd Smith, I could not let the Bill pass without saying we have asked the Government repeatedly to declare a housing emergency. Now it will be done for a limited period. Various Deputies, including from Sinn Féin, my group and others, have repeatedly asked the Government to declare an emergency and to take appropriate steps, but it refused to do so. There is now a Covid-19 emergency on top of the housing emergency. Perhaps the Government will learn a lesson this time and realise that the housing situation was simply unsustainable. Some €1 billion was to be spent on housing assistance payment this year alone, not to mention-----

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