Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed with the legislation that has been brought forward. While we support it and recognise there is a need for an emergency ban on evictions, and there are parts of the legislation we welcome, the Minister has missed an opportunity to go further, which he should have taken.

Child homelessness in Cork has increased by 40% in the past 12 months. Our homeless figures are now at record levels not only in Cork but nationally. The hidden homeless have not been covered in this debate. Those include people who are couch-surfing and rough-sleeping, those in domestic violence centres and families who are in boxrooms in multigenerational households because there is nowhere else for them to go. According to the Simon Community, there could be up to 290,000 people in those situations, including families and children.

At one time, when you got a notice to quit, it was a devastating blow. It meant upheaval, the packing of boxes, stress and trying to find alternative accommodation. It did not, however, mean homelessness and that is what it means now. For the vast majority of people, a notice to quit is an eviction into homelessness.

This legislation is welcome. It does one thing but it does not go far enough. It gives people breathing space for the winter, which is security they need. It gives people room at least to enjoy their Christmas. On daft.ietoday, there are only ten properties available for rent in Cork for less than €1,500. This is not a functional rental sector. There are over 200,000 people living in Cork. How is anyone meant to secure a property when those are the figures involved? On airbnb.ie, 153 properties are available to rent for a short stay of over a week. At the end of quarter 2 of this year, there were 9,000 vacant properties in Cork city and county. The Minister spoke earlier about getting local authorities to do more but he needs to do more and give local authorities the necessary funding. He needs to get rid of all the red tape and bureaucracy that requires local authorities to go to the Department in Dublin and return again. He should give them the funding in advance in order that they can deal with these issues.

We need more properties for rent and more social housing. People who are faced with a notice to quit do not have the option of finding a property on airbnb.ieand they cannot squat because they will be arrested. The reality is that this legislation is not enough. It needs to be a part of a suite of measures. We need a rent freeze and one month's tax credit given back to people. We need real protection for renters and a big uptick in the delivery of social housing.

We have heard from the Taoiseach and the Minister about start-ups and what is being done in Ireland. The facts are that under this Government's watch, rents are at the highest levels they have ever been. House prices are at the highest levels they have ever been. Homelessness is also at the highest level it has ever been. Fine Gael has been in power for 11 years and Fianna Fáil has been supporting Fine Gael for the past six and a half years. The buck stops with the Government and no one else.

I am dealing with 14 people who are overstaying; whose eviction dates have passed. People were looking forward to this Bill because they thought the Government would protect them. It does not. Their eviction dates have now passed and those people will have nowhere to go unless they are going to overstay and be brought to court. This legislation does not protect those people. I have read the Bill from cover to cover and those protections are not there. It is not a long Bill and there is nothing in it for people who are overstaying. Deputy Ó Broin and I have submitted amendments. We are bringing forward a set of amendments that we feel are credible. We will try to strengthen the Bill. We support this Bill but we ask the Minister to consider our amendments and those of others because we need to ensure this Bill is fit for purpose.

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