Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Simon Communities of Ireland on this extremely important Bill. Last week, a man came to my clinic with an eviction date in a couple of weeks. He broke down crying in front of me because he thought he and his family would be out on the street. He was absolutely racked with terror at that possibility. This happens week in, week out. This man had done nothing wrong. He had worked all his life and then had an injury which prevented him from working and impacted on his circumstances. Now he is faced with homelessness. We cannot allow this to continue and this is an important measure in giving tenants and local authorities some opportunity to try to prevent people being flung out on the street or into emergency accommodation. It will prevent that kind of despair, hardship and suffering for people who do not deserve it and who, like everybody else, should have the right to a secure roof over their heads. I hope the Government will support the Bill.

See this speech in context