Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My question was very specific. While the information that the Minister has provided is very interesting, it does not actually address the question. I look forward to him addressing the question in his response.

The problem is as follows. The homeless figures for April 2021 show, for the first time in a long time, an increase the number of families with children in emergency accommodation. We know that the single largest cause of family homelessness is landlords issuing vacant possession notices to quit. In fact, looking at the most recent data from the RTB, they tell us that 49% of notices to quit are on grounds of sale and 24% are in cases of the landlord or landlord's family using the property. There is a real concern among front-line homeless service providers that now that the general ban on evictions has ended, we are going to see a return to the pre-Covid monthly increases in homelessness.

Specifically, I am asking the Minister that for those people who have notices to quit today, whether for rent arrears, sale of property or use of property by landlords, what is the Minister going to do to ensure that we do not see a month-on-month rise in homelessness, and in particular, family homelessness with children involved?

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