Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are 220 homeless children in counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. There was one person homeless in 2014. That just demonstrates how the situation has gotten worse under the Minister's watch. Every month the number of homeless people increases on the Minister's watch. Behind these figures are real families and people who desperately need somewhere to live. They are scared that they will not even be able to get bed and breakfast accommodation vouchers if the council has not put anything in place before the holidays. People have a real fear of that. The council offices will close. When the office is closed and people become homeless, they have to go to the Garda station. That is a fact. I checked it yesterday with Mayo County Council. With this Bill we are only asking for the Minister to stop the no-fault evictions over the winter months to give these people a chance. This is a most modest proposal. It is just a few months where parents do not have to live in fear of eviction. It is a humanitarian pause for renters and a lifeline for those at the sharpest end of the housing crisis. Ireland is an outlier in Europe for allowing no-fault evictions. It is only in Ireland and Britain that this harsh form of eviction takes place in Europe. International evidence and Scotland's experience of banning no-fault eviction show that the measure does not harm the rental sector or make landlords leave the market. The claim that allowing no-fault evictions is somehow better for renters is purely a myth used by politicians who have no interest in protecting the people from homelessness. These are politicians who have overseen the explosion of homelessness across the State. Again we give the Government the chance to stop these no-fault evictions. The Minister's weak excuse for not taking the most basic actions to protect people from homelessness does not wash with people. It is shameful that this will be the legacy of the Government. It is never too late to do the right thing. The Minister can do it now. It is within his gift to do so by supporting this legislation.

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