Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is right that there are 173 in the pipeline - that is also in the answer - but only seven have been purchased. I also hear from landlords who tell me they are trying to engage with local authorities, because they want to sell to a local authority to keep the family renting from them out of homelessness, and the local authorities are not engaging. I hear of other problems with the tenant in situscheme that have to be resolved. The Mercy Law Resource Centre has asked me what provision is being made within the scheme for tenants who are renting a HAP property in one local authority area but are receiving HAP from, and therefore on the social housing transfer list with, a different local authority. These are the sorts of practical problems that could and should have been resolved in the duration of the winter eviction ban. Contingencies should have been put in place by the Government to ensure there was no cliff edge for families who are now facing the devastating prospect of an insecure home or eviction from 1 April onwards. It is unconscionable that these sorts of measures, these rapid plans we are now hearing about, were not put in place earlier.

I put to the Taoiseach earlier that on 9 February the Labour Party tabled a motion, which the Government rejected, proposing to extend the eviction ban and put in place eight emergency measures that would have resulted in an increase in supply. The Government opposed that and it is now refusing to accept this motion to extend the ban in these circumstances of devastation for so many families and households. We have put forward a further constructive proposal, which I wrote to the Taoiseach about last week and put to him again this morning. We have brought forward a Bill that would provide for a facility to extend the eviction ban until there is an evidence base for its lifting, that is, until there is a drop in homelessness figures for four consecutive months. I understand the Taoiseach is not accepting that Bill even though it is a constructive proposal.

We are going to have no option but to put down a motion of no confidence in the Government next week. It is not an action we take lightly. It is something we take very seriously. We are conscious that it is a very serious thing to do but we are in a situation where a decision has been made by the Government, apparently at very short notice and against what had previously been indicated, which is going to have devastating consequences for families and households around the country, in every constituency. It is being done without any contingency and with an admission from the Government in this very lengthy amendment to the motion that a series of rapidly planned measures do indeed need to be taken to keep families out of homelessness. These are measures that should and could have been taken months ago but because they were not, and because so many individuals and families are now facing this cliff edge, we are going to be left with no choice but to put down a motion of no confidence next week.

I hope I am wrong. I hope the Government will change its decision. I hope it will support this Opposition motion, which has widespread support across this side of the House and from some members of the Government too, it would seem. I hope the Government will do that because the consequences of the decision are so clearly spelled out. I am thinking of the RTB figures we have seen since the Government took this decision showing nearly 5,000 notices to quit in the third quarter of last year alone. We are seeing real and clear evidence of this cliff edge and the devastation that is now likely to be faced by so many individuals and families. We, as Opposition legislators, cannot stand over that. I am appealing to the Minister one last time to support this motion, as we are doing tonight.

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