Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Labour Party will be opposing the Bill and submitting a number of amendments. We feel that this Bill has limited protections for those impacted by Covid-19. It seems strange, when a measure introduced in March has been seen to work to keep people out of homelessness, that we would change the provisions that were made. Homelessness and housing have dogged political debate for years now. They are one of the greatest crises we have had to grapple with as a nation. Measures have finally been taken that have seen a drop in the numbers presenting, but now we are changing the very provisions that saw these numbers drop. Because of this legislation, we can be sure that we will now see an increase in homelessness in the autumn. The Government must prepare for that reality because this flawed Bill will not stop people losing their homes. Unfortunately, we are going to have a debate in the autumn when we will point to this moment and say to the Minister that we told him. I presume the Minister will use devices or excuses to explain why the Opposition is wrong and he is right. I hope we are wrong and he is right. There is nothing from experience to suggest that will be the case.

The pandemic ban on evictions clearly worked to stop the increase in homelessness. Under this Bill, no-fault evictions are back, substantial renovation evictions are back and evictions for the benefit of family members are back. There is no beefing up of the staffing of the RTB for inspections and protections of renters in such cases. Let us be clear about the type of people who will be most affected by these measures and the type of people who are renting in our economy. A huge number of them are younger workers who have been most seriously affected by the economic collapse. Some 30% of 20 to 24 year olds and 42% of 25 to 34 year olds are renting. The job losses in sectors where large numbers of workers rent are as follows: 38% in accommodation and food; 28% in administration and support; 27% in retail; 23% in arts; and 21% in construction. These are massive job losses in areas of the economy where a huge section of workers rent. About 200,000 renters are in sectors most severely affected by job losses.

Unfortunately, the proposed law leaves too many exceptions in the terms of evictions and there is a significant risk that, from September, we will see homelessness rising again. The changes will only give protection from eviction until January to those who can prove that they have been financially impacted upon by a limited set of circumstances and will put in place a complicated process to apply for that exception.

It is important to re-emphasise the point that the Bill does not take into account in any adequate way those who have addiction issues or mental health challenges or those with lower levels of literacy. We live in a country where 17.9% of Irish adults are functionally illiterate. This means that they cannot access application forms or read medicine bottles. That is one in six adults. The House can be sure that a disproportionate number of them are in the rental sector. The Bill will result in more people losing their homes in view of the fact that they will have to navigate a cumbersome and technical system that has been criticised by many homeless agencies.

Disturbingly, the Minister plans to criminalise tenants for false declarations without doing the same in respect of landlords availing of eviction exemptions. To do this to someone at risk of losing his or her home is despicable. The Minister also needs to clarify whether the Bill, as proposed, will stop rent increases until January 2021 for all tenants or just those impacted by Covid-19.

This is the latest last-minute Bill over many years that attempts to address issues in the body of law covering residential tenancies. Sadly, it fails to address adequately the main excuses used for evicting tenants, which are a driving force of homelessness. If something has successfully prevented people from losing their homes and entering homelessness, why change it? We have tabled 12 amendments to various sections. We look forward to debating those points with the Minister as the Bill progresses.

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