Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A Bill such as this is needed because of the situation created by the Government and its broken housing policy. Only this week, people contacted my office in Cashel because they had nowhere to go after their tenancies ended. One case involves a single mother and her children. This family just cannot find accommodation in a market that is strangled through a lack of supply. The mother, who has tried all the local estate agents in an effort to get a house, had to sleep at her neighbour's over the weekend and is now in contact with the council about emergency accommodation. How long is she going to be in emergency accommodation? How suitable will it be for her and her children? What impact will it have on the children's well-being and education? This is the situation that so many people throughout the country are finding themselves in. My party and I will support this Bill because we are talking about people's well-being. We are talking about maintaining for children a life that is as normal as possible under the current circumstances.

The figures show the sheer number of people, of families, who are facing challenges. Since the last ban on evictions ended, the number of adults and children in emergency accommodation has increased to 10,800, according to the August figures.

That is not an exhaustive list, as it does not take account of the women and children in Tusla-funded domestic violence refuges, the adults and children who are trapped in the direct provision system and are using it as emergency accommodation, nor the adults and children who are in hostels that are not in receipt of State funding. Neither does it include those who are sleeping on people's sofas or those families crammed into a spare box room in a friend or relative's house. This is where we are. This is where the Government has led people, by failing to deliver an adequate supply of social and affordable homes. The situation will continue for as long as the Government continues to plan for too few social and affordable homes. Sinn Féin has been calling for months for a ban on evictions during the winter. While the Government may have been initially reluctant to do this because it may force it to admit to the failings of its housing policy, it is obvious that the realities facing thousands of people and families has finally hit home.

This is not a reason for the Government to sit on its laurels, because although it is a much-needed measure, it will not fix the problem. If urgent action is not taken to increase the supply of social and affordable housing over the next five months, we will be revisiting the crisis in April. We need more action on voids and on purchasing homes with tenants in situ. While Sinn Féin will be supporting this Bill and has called for something similar for months, we will be tabling amendments. For instance, we do not support the provision in the Bill to allow for terminations to proceed where the property is overcrowded. This could put large and vulnerable families at risk of long stays in emergency accommodation and could also be used as a loophole for those who cannot proceed with terminations on grounds such as the sale of a property.

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