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

I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the automatic extension of notice periods with respect to residential tenancies where a tenant is certified as at risk of homelessness and for that purpose to amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and to provide for related matters.

As the House knows, homelessness among adults and children has increased in each of the past four months. That increase is directly related to the dramatic rise in notices to quit issued since the Government lifted the ban on such notices. This morning, the Simon Communities of Ireland launched this simple but important Bill which gives local authorities greater powers to try to prevent families and children from becoming homeless. It is supported by five Opposition groupings on the floor of the Dáil today. It will be introduced on Second Stage during Sinn Féin's Private Members' time next week. We all need to shift the focus onto homelessness prevention. We need to ensure our local authorities have every power to prevent adults and children from losing their homes and entering emergency accommodation. On that basis, I warmly commend the Bill to the House.

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