David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Some of those in government have talked about how we should not equate a notice to quit with an eviction. That fails to understand the human consequences of what happens when a family, many of whom have been in my office, gets the letter in the door, the phone call or the email to say that there is a notice to quit. The first thing they have to do is find alternative accommodation. That the stress and anxiety this causes for families is enormous. One lady, her name is Eleanor, sent me an email yesterday. She has three children. She is faced with a notice to quit. She is asking me to help. She is begging and crying, like many families have been. I am sure everybody in this House has experienced similar. I know and she knows that it is a lottery when it comes to trying to find accommodation. Some people will find it, but many will not. The Government still has not answered the question as to where many of those families will go. We simply do not have enough homes. Everybody is fishing in the same pond in the private rented sector because we do not have enough social and affordable homes. To say there are alternatives for all of the families being served with notices to quit is absolutely wrong.

The Government claims that Sinn Féin's housing policies are populist. It is wrong. They are practical, realistic and deliverable.

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