Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government plans to lift the eviction ban in ten days. If it does this, where are the working families, single people and pensioners at risk of losing their homes meant to go? This question has been put to the Taoiseach repeatedly and those people still wait for an answer. Without putting any measures in place, the Government intends to remove this protection for renters during an unprecedented housing emergency. Homes to rent are at an all-time low, rents are at an all-time high, housing supply is too slow and housing prices are through the roof. We have record homelessness and emergency accommodation in many areas is full. Now, the Government's decision to lift the eviction ban throws renters to the wolves. We are talking about people who work hard, pay for everything and do all the right things to build a decent future. We are talking about tens of thousands of people trapped in the rental market who, in another generation, would have had the opportunity to buy a home of their own. This is a nightmare for renters who have been hit with an eviction notice. Thousands more are terrified of that call from their landlord with the news that they must leave their home. One family in Wicklow, including two children, have received an eviction notice. They have lived in their rented home for 11 years. They are now considering renting storage units and living out of a car.

By lifting the eviction ban, the Government makes the political choice to escalate a housing emergency that was already out of control, and it is working people who pay the price. To be clear, the eviction ban is not a permanent solution. What it does is buy time for the Government to deal with the underlying issues. The Taoiseach says he is worried about landlords exiting the market. Then, give local authorities the clear instruction and financial firepower they need to buy those houses to keep tenants in their homes and expand the scheme to cover those not on the social housing list. Approved housing bodies are ready to act. We have thousands of vacant homes but the Government is too slow in bringing them back into use. We need pace. The Government must streamline the process and remove the stifling bureaucracy involved.

We know that new technologies present the way forward for housing construction. Where is the initiative from the Government to harness these technologies? Where is the ambition? Ultimately, we need the biggest housing programme in the history the State and the delivery of genuinely affordable homes to rent or buy. Ireland is a great country. Our people are up and at it and our economy is strong. There is scope within the public finances for a transformative housing plan. What we need is a Government with the ambition to get the job done.

Nuair a ardaíonn an Rialtas an cosc ar dhíshealbhú ar 1 Aibreán, cá bhfuil sé i gceist ag daoine dul? Caithfidh an Rialtas an cinneadh a chur ar ceal. Ní mór an cosc ar dhíshealbhú a shíneadh amach go dtí deireadh na bliana.

Sinn Féin’s motion tonight calls on the Government to reverse its decision and extend the eviction ban. I ask every Deputy to think very carefully about the renters in their constituency and protect them by voting in favour of this motion.

Should the Government proceed with this cruel decision, my question still stands: where are those people facing eviction from 1 April meant to go?

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