Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister well in his new role. We have very challenging times ahead.

While I welcome the extension of the rent freeze and ban on evictions, we need to take time to future-proof the rental sector. We need to take a long-term view of what criteria are used to evict tenants. We also need to encourage small landlords back into the system and protect vulnerable tenants. Some accidental landlords may now need to move back into their rental property because they may have lost work due to Covid-19. We must take a more robust approach to ensure no landlord is playing a dangerous game.

I am concerned that tenants must almost self-declare their dire situation to the Residential Tenancies Board. What happens to the renter who does not have the wherewithal to do this, either through a lack of understanding or capacity? Will the Department launch a public awareness campaign? Will housing authorities write to every registered landlord, erect signage or engage in awareness? How will this be communicated? Timelines are also very important. I am not sure the moving deadline is helpful. We need a long-term strategy to provide certainty to everyone.

In the previous Seanad, I introduced a Bill to set out new statutory deadlines for processing housing assistance payment applications and social housing support applications. It would have halved the current social housing assessment times and set a three-week deadline for processing HAP applications. This would have given applicants certainty and more confidence. It was a technical Bill to address paperwork issues in housing applications that many constituents have complained about. The Bill lapsed following the dissolution of the previous Government. We need to look again at these kinds of short turnaround times for decisions. More understanding is needed. People tell me that their jobs are not secure and they are uncertain about their futures. They are looking to go on the housing list. I am very disappointed that the income threshold to qualify for local authority housing has not been increased for nearly ten years. This is causing people to become homeless.

I am concerned that HAP is being used to solve certain problems while creating others. Like a plaster placed on a broken bone, it does nothing to solve the crisis. It is often used to keep families from becoming homeless but they are not securely housed as they are still at the mercy of private landlords. We need to address this, especially for families with young children who need stability to lead full lives.

While I welcome the certainty provided in the Bill, we need a longer plan. I have spoken to so many families during the Covid crisis. One's home is one's castle. One woman rang me who was very upset. She told me she knew she could not be evicted at that time but her husband had lost his job and she did not know if he would return to work. She did not know what to do as she did not qualify for the housing list and had no help. We must ensure that every case is examined on its individual merits. There are genuine cases where people are not getting help. No appeal mechanism is provided in respect of the qualification threshold for local authority housing. In the case of someone whose income is €20 over the threshold, I would not be able to make representations or ask to make an appeal on grounds such as the person's outgoings and need. We need to put a procedure in place to deal with urgent cases. While I understand that staff have been transferred to local authorities to deal with homelessness, which is important, the bigger picture is that every case and situation is different. We come across cases that involve children and families who are very upset.

I raised the issue of domestic violence with the Minister last week. There has been a huge surge in domestic violence. We need to ensure no family is left homeless. We must be able to contact our local authorities to secure help for families and ensure they have a place to stay.

We also need to look at accommodation. What kind of accommodation do the local authorities have? We do not want families to be evicted or made homeless. We must ensure that every child in the country has a home and no child is left with nowhere to go.

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