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

While the Government won the vote of confidence today with the support of some Independents, we still have no clarity from it on the measures that will be in place in three days' time for families facing eviction from 1 April. I appeal to the Taoiseach to take the last chance offered by the vote later today on the Sinn Féin Bill which we, and Opposition parties generally, will support. It is one last chance to ensure the no-fault eviction ban is extended on a temporary basis to give the Government the necessary time that is needed. In fairness, most Government backbenchers admit that time is needed to make the legislative changes the Taoiseach has indicated are being planned for. It will need time to put it in place new measures and build up the capacity within local authorities to operate the tenant in situscheme. That is all we are looking to do. It would be a reasonable thing to extend the ban at this point.

We will continue to put forward constructive proposals. Government Members may scoff at the figures Labour has given, but we are basing them on statutory agencies' projections of need. Some 50,000 new builds a year will be needed to meet the demands of our communities. The Taoiseach said there is currently a shortfall of 250,000 homes. He has set ambitious targets for retrofitting and the refurbishment of vacant homes. We are simply using those figures to show the Government the scale of the ambition that is needed in an economy that is running a surplus of €5.3 billion. The Government has to do more on housing.

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