Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Will the eviction ban be kept in place or will it be lifted? I have been listening to you guys all week on this, speaking on the one hand and on the other hand. The Government has said it is speaking to the Attorney General. I know how to read between the lines. It is pretty clear that the Government is leaning towards lifting the eviction ban next week or the week after. Should it choose to do so it will be an act of political extremism and free-market extremism on the part of the Government. We know that since last Friday record numbers are in emergency accommodation. Record numbers of children are also in emergency accommodation. Any public representative with eyes and ears knows a large number of people will be out the door reasonably quickly after such a ban is lifted. This will raise numbers to the highest level ever in the history of the State. I doubt the emergency accommodation services will be able to cope with that.

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