Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The existing eviction ban ensures that the tenant who wilfully withholds rent or engages in antisocial or criminal behaviour will not be given an exemption from termination. However, People Before Profit's Bill aims to prevent landlords from evicting tenants who do not pay rent, leaving the landlords with no mechanism to reclaim their properties or tenancies.

We have some fantastic landlords and tenants and only a minority of bad landlords and tenants. Now, landlords are leaving the market. They do not want to be landlords anymore because they are being victimised by a minority of tenants who are engaging in antisocial behaviour or do not want to pay rent.

The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, was in Limerick recently. We went to Patrickswell, where 110 houses were announced. An upgrade of the sewerage system is required, though. We went to Hospital where there were 20 new houses, five of which had on-site sewerage systems. I told the Minister that we could provide houses in Limerick but that there was no infrastructure to do so. Previous Governments failed to invest in infrastructure in County Limerick. If there was sufficient infrastructure, upgraded sewerage systems and extra capacity, I would be able to build houses tomorrow morning. At every site that we called to in Limerick, local authority and private builders told us that they were at maximum capacity and could not build any more.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to his current position. I am delighted about it. He is a Limerick man. Please, help us to get infrastructure for County Limerick. I will work with him.

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