Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. I will support the amendment Bill today to defer the termination dates of certain tenancies to 31 January 2024, in order to mitigate the risk of homelessness. I wish to start off with some figures. There was a 47% increase in the number of notices to quit in the private rental sector between quarter 1 and quarter 2 of 2022. Some 7,539 eviction notices were issued from January to September 2022. Last Friday, there was no emergency accommodation in Louth - no hotel rooms, no bed and breakfast accommodation, nothing. A total of 172 people presented as homeless to Louth County Council last month, even before the eviction ban is due to be lifted. Last Friday, five properties were listed ondaft.ieto rent in Louth. At a minimum, 96 families in Louth face eviction in four days' time. These figures are not just figures. They are families, children, people from all walks of life.

Shelter is a fundamental right. In the last week, the Government has rhymed off its achievements regarding housing and the supply of housing and quoted building numbers, but on the ground, rental accommodation is not accessible and homeless accommodation is at breaking point. One young man from my constituency contacted me because he is in fear of imminent eviction. He was given notice to vacate before the ban came in and is not eligible for the proposed tenant in situscheme. After coming through foster care, he is currently in a HAP property and has access to two young siblings. This young man is an apprentice electrician earning €400 a week. Although he has been searching, he cannot locate an alternative property, unless he pays nearly €2,000. Louth County Council has no accommodation for him. His only alternative is to go to the Simon Community.

The extension of the legislation is absolutely necessary due to the ongoing acute supply constraints in the residential rental sector and the increasing number of people presenting as homeless. In October, on Second Stage of the Bill, I said that while the emergency Bill provides short-term assistance, the long-term answers to the housing and accommodation challenges remain. I said that the homelessness figures will continue to rise after the eviction ban has concluded unless the core problem of the lack of affordable homes is addressed. Three weeks ago, the Tánaiste said that the Government has made no decision regarding the eviction ban extension; therefore, the measures proposed and being pushed by the Government to counteract the lifting of the eviction ban, and the increase in homelessness, are at most three-week-old ideas, which are doubtful to come to fruition by 1 April. In fact, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage confirmed the "first refusal" option will not be in place by 1 April, as it requires legislative change. There is no clear timeline for its introduction.

The Government's planned measures are already being hampered. The Irish Planning Institute, IPI, which represents more than 1,000 private and public sector planners, has rejected and called into question sweeping new laws to reform the planning system, which were supposed to accelerate building in the face of the worsening housing crisis. The legislation, according to the IPI, includes contentious measures to bar residents' associations from taking judicial review cases against planning decisions in the High Court. The IPI also stated the draft laws could lead to further "unforeseen" planning problems if they are pushed through the Dáil and Seanad. On top of this, the Government's plan to free up an additional 12,000 rental properties has been dealt a blow last week, as the EU delayed plans for a new Airbnb register until the end of the year. Apart from the measures being ill defined, the Government is passing the buck to under-staffed and under-resourced council personnel who are not equipped to take on all these schemes. Louth County Council does amazing work, but it does not have the capacity to get on top of these proposed solutions and have them accessible by 1 April.

Rents in Ireland are among the highest in Europe, while security for renters is among the lowest in Europe, especially when it comes to evictions and security of tenure. We still have no-fault evictions, which are alien to most other European countries. The winter ban was a ban on no-fault evictions. This brought us in line with most other countries in the EU. A tenant may also be evicted if the landlord wishes to change the use of the property or carry out significant renovations. None of these were valid reasons for eviction under the recently overturned eviction ban. I do not wish to demonise landlords. I acknowledge that in some situations the dwelling is required for occupancy by a landlord or a member of his or her family. However, every organisation, political party and campaign group with a vested interest in this issue were against scrapping the ban, except the landlords' lobby and those who had something to gain. In an attempt to keep landlords in the rental market, rather than recognising the right of every citizen to an adequate standard of living, the Government is siding with landlords in the hope that they will alleviate its shortfall in housing.

The fact is that the number of people being made homeless is increasing, while the supply of houses is lacking. Not a day passes without someone coming into my constituency office who is homeless. I commend the homelessness section in Louth County Council. However, with the number of homeless at its highest, emergency accommodation is at breaking point, and with more than 350 international protection applicants homeless, the extension of the legislation is vital. People are being crucified with the cost of living, energy costs, the severe housing shortage, and spiralling rents. I fundamentally agree with the principle of every person having access to housing and, as such, I agree with the extension of the measures in the Bill.

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