Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be able to speak on this Bill. I welcome the extension of the time. It is important during these difficulties with Covid to be fair to people as much as we can. It is nothing more than what we should be doing. I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I had a brief word with him about the urban regeneration fund which Clonmel was unsuccessful in applying for. He has agreed to look at it and to meet with officials from Tipperary County Council. I thank him for his engagement and I wish him well in his portfolio as Minister. He understands that he will also meet with mayor Siobhán Ambrose later when we go through the score sheets and see what went wrong in that area.

Regarding this Bill, it is clear what is going on. There are some bad tenants and many good tenants. There are some bad landlords and many good landlords. There is always a percentage of people who abuse the situation. Before the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, came into office, the last Government did precious little to protect people and to make sure they had certainty. There are waiting lists of 12 years in places. With construction closed - and there is no sense or meaning to it - expected output of new housing units will be 25% less this year. We saw people, and even politicians, picture three construction workers getting takeaway coffees and then brand all construction workers as rogues. They are entitled to their coffee. They want to go to work and to continue to build. These same people are claiming we are not building enough houses. They cannot have their cake and eat it. One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.

I refer to what has gone on in the courts all through Covid, especially under one female member of the Judiciary, who I will not name and who has run riot with open engagement for vulture funds. People have been evicted throughout the pandemic despite assurances that there would not be evictions. There has been open door access to the courts for the vulture funds. Land is now being sold off by banks to these vulture funds, which were invited into the country by the former Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan. He said they were good. The only vultures I ever see are pernicious, attacking young lambs when they are born, plucking out their eyes before they get their bodies on to the earth. They must be brought to book. They are plundering and raping our country.

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