Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt the previous speaker will have even more people coming to her office in the next while with housing issues. That is the only thing that is definite. We often talk about unintended consequences but the Government is taking action today and beyond that will have definite consequences. Nobody has been able to answer where people in housing need, who are facing eviction in April, May, June and beyond, will go. I have yet to see any solutions to this.

We are dealing with a non-budget or a non-mini budget. It represents an acceptance by the Government that we are in a cost-of-living crisis and we need to take action. In this State, our biggest problem is accommodation, whether that is the cost of mortgages, rent or buying a house. Meeting the criteria required to do so will probably become more difficult in the next while. The measures on the VAT rate on electricity and gas providers will not provide the supports required by households that continue to experience sky-high energy bills.

There will be an increase in carbon tax on home heating oil and gas bills in May. We give with one hand and take with the other. We called for reduced rates of excise on petrol and diesel to be extended beyond February, in order to provide support to those who need it and who do not have a huge amount of choice. It is all well and good talking about alternatives and making alternative choices, but you need to have those choices in the first place.

We welcome the changes to the TBESS. There were huge issues with the scheme and that was the reason such a small number of people engaged with it, because of both the criteria and the means of application. There are still major failings with regard to LPG and oil being locked out. I said previously that I thought this could have been a means of dealing with some of the issues faced by those with district heating systems, like Carlinn Hall, which has huge costs at this point in time.

I have already spoken about the cost of mortgages. Our party has been straight with regard to the need for targeted and directed supports in the short term. That goes without saying but given the day and week that is in it, I also checked daft.ielike other speakers. In Dundalk, there are six houses available at this point in time. In Dundalk and the surrounds, there are ten houses on daft.ie. People in my constituency office say estate agents are telling them straight out that they are dealing with people facing eviction who are already on their books. They say they will try to do something for them but they cannot. Louth County Council will say the same.

The Government has come up with solutions like the tenant in situscheme. Whatever about the in situscheme for cost rental - we will see what that looks like - there are a huge number of people who cannot avail of the in situpurchase scheme for those on a HAP tenancy. There will be a room too many or a room too few or they might not be long enough on the housing list. Unless those criteria change, that is not going to cut the mustard. Louth County Council is processing 20 applications at the minute and its target is 30. That is not going to change anything given the need that is there. We need to get real about this. The sensible thing would be not to lift the eviction ban until such time as these proposed measures are in place.

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