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

Tá ceart tithíochta ag gach duine ach is léir nach gcreideann an Rialtas sa cheart seo. Everyone has a right to a home but the vote by Government and some Independent Deputies yesterday evening tells us that your belief in that right is qualified. Although motions are non-binding, yesterday’s vote sent a devastating message to people in housing distress and housing crisis right now. The vote copper-fastened the fear and anxiety for everyone in the country who is renting and who has received a notice to quit in recent months. It exacerbated the fear of those who have not received a notice to quit but are now in fear that they may be left without a home and may join the thousands of others who are homeless, left to fend for themselves in a rental sector which is in utter meltdown.

As if to make matters worse, the Government has revealed itself to be in a tailspin. This week it announced a series of half-measures frantically cobbled together to shore up support for its position on the counter-motion. These measures are fundamentally incapable of making one iota of difference to all those due to be turfed out of their homes in nine days' time from 1 April onwards. Some of the measures are ill-defined, some appear to be antithetical even to the Government's own purported aims. We heard the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage revealing on the News at One yesterday that he himself was not sure how the proposed first refusal scheme for tenants facing eviction would work, a scheme likely doomed to fail since so few renters could even afford to buy. We saw in The Irish Timesyesterday reports that the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler has expressed real concerns about the Government plans - only plans at this stage - to allow people in nursing homes to keep 100% of the rental income from their homes. It seems she was not told in advance of this plan despite being the relevant Minister. She is disappointed with the decision which she thinks will prematurely drive people into nursing homes; indeed this is a very likely result and entirely contrary to the programme for Government aims. Has the Government lost control of this? Is there any evidence basis underpinning its approach at all?

At the Business Committee this morning, my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith confirmed that we will use our Private Members’ time next week to bring forward a motion of no confidence in Government. That is not something we do likely but something we have no choice but to do in the current circumstances. Even at this 11th hour, there is still time for the Tánaiste to reverse the decision and extend the ban. The Government has blocked off time on Tuesday afternoon for statements on the eviction ban. I do not think those statements will be of any use to the thousands of people who have already received a notice to quit. That time could be used to table the Labour Party's alternative Bill. The Tánaiste has accused the Opposition of having no ideas but we do have ideas. I wrote last week to the Taoiseach to supply him with a copy of our emergency legislation. I have a copy here which I can give to the Tánaiste. It would extend the eviction ban until homelessness rates have demonstrably reduced over four consecutive months. It would introduce a new approach, not indefinite extension, but a results-based, not time-based extension of the eviction ban, as the homelessness agencies have been seeking. The Taoiseach has not even done us the courtesy of responding but we are asking the Tánaiste now to take up our Bill. If he will not do so, in next week's motion of no confidence, can be sure he will have the support of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, or indeed of Deputy Hourigan? Is he confident of support for Government in next week's vote given the housing crisis and given the scale of catastrophe awaiting us from 1 April?

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