Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Aréir, chaith an Rialtas vóta a chinntigh go mbeidh níos mó saoránach sa tír seo gan dídean sna míonna amach romhainn. Cinneadh dochrach a bhí ann, is é sin rud a dhéarfadh go ligfeadh daoine i ndearmad go deo. Ní féidir leis an Rialtas an cheist shimplí a fhreagairt. Cá rachaidh na daoine seo? Last night, in what must be a first for a Government in this State, the Government took a cold, cruel, heartless and calculated decision to make more citizens homeless throughout this State in the coming months. It was an absolutely despicable act and one which the people in constituencies of every Government and Independent Deputy who voted to enable these evictions will never, ever forget.

Thousands of eviction notices fall due in nine days' time, on the Government's watch. Couples, families, children and even pensioners will face the prospect of losing their homes. I do not know if the Tánaiste heard yesterday when Julie spoke on radio about her situation. Faced with an eviction notice, Julie and her husband, son and grandson are due to be evicted from the house they have rented for 11 years in nine days' time. In her own words, Julie said "we have literally nowhere to go". She said: "I just want to break down and sob my heart out - I just don't know what to do". She has nowhere to live and nowhere to go.

The range of people impacted is wide and far. We are dealing day in and day out with parents, people with long-term illnesses, people with disabilities, care workers, teachers, nurses and professionals who are all facing evictions in the coming weeks. Very few will find alternative accommodation in the rental sector. Many others will be forced to move into the box room with their families or couch surf with friends. They will become the hidden homeless, etched from the Government's official statistics, but homeless nevertheless. Some may emigrate.

Those without options will be forced to present to the local authority for emergency accommodation. With homelessness at record levels in this State, our emergency accommodation is at breaking point. Many councils have no additional capacity and the rest will soon run out. The Tánaiste and his Government already knew this but every single one of them cast their vote last night to make more people homeless. Children, adults, old and young people, teachers, nurses and professionals will be homeless. That is the outworking of the vote last night. The Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage have been asked the question over and over again by Members of the House and those who are taking to national and local media. "Where are we to go?", they ask. The Tánaiste has not answered that. I hope the Independent Deputies who backed up the Government last night will be able to answer that. They have got their 30 pieces of silver but they have turned their backs, just as the Tánaiste has, on renters. Maybe they will give us the answer.

From last night's vote, it is clear this Government has thrown in the towel on renters, but Sinn Féin has not and it never will because the eviction ban can and should be extended. There is still a chance to turn. There is still a chance to avert the impending human catastrophe. Today, my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, will introduce a Bill to extend the ban on no-fault evictions. It will be a replica of what the Government introduced in October, extending the date to the end of January next year. We will table this Bill for Second Stage debate and a vote next Tuesday. Every single Member of this House will have one last opportunity to do the right thing four days before thousands of eviction notices fall due. It will be a simple decision. Do Deputies stand with those renters who face eviction or will they vote to make them homeless? If the Tánaiste decides to do the wrong thing again, what will he say to Julie who has no hope of finding accommodation? Where are she and the thousands of others like her, who will be evicted and become homeless in nine days' time, to go?

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