Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very happy to speak in favour of the Sinn Féin motion today. It highlights, as Senator Moynihan said, that this legislation comes through again and again. It went through the last Oireachtas multiple times. Every time the rental tenancies or any of these Bills come through there is never time to substantively discuss the issues. That is why the debate today is really welcome. We see again and again a new emergency measure, a partial fix or, as we saw in the rental tenancies legislation that went through last autumn, unfortunately, some real steps backwards which I am very concerned about.

Regarding the numbers of evictions, the eviction protection is very welcome. It was good that Ireland acted relatively promptly on that and that it was extended. However, an opportunity was missed, as we highlighted during the debate last autumn. I put forward two amendments, one which would extend the rental protection from evictions to 20 km and another which would give the Minister the discretion to extend and link it to another public health direction if he wished. That was not taken up, which is why we now have this situation whereby if we move from 5 km, we create jeopardy for people. Unfortunately, because of the legislation passed last year, the jeopardy is now greater than it ever was.

I urge the Government to promptly address a measure I am extremely concerned about before the ban on evictions is lifted. We know how quickly action can come from the previous listing of evictions in autumn when we saw 360 eviction notices served almost immediately, as soon as the ban was lifted. The provisions in the legislation last year meant that if a tenant was just 28 days in arrears, less than one month's paycheck, there would be just 28 days to pay that back. This applied even to Part 4 tenants, who may have lived for ten or 15 years with security of long-term tenure, and may have had one of the most difficult years of their lives.

I am extraordinarily concerned about the jeopardy we will see because of that 28 days arrears provision, to allow evictions, that came into new legislation last year. It has not yet had an impact because of the suspension, but it is an extraordinary jeopardy. I urge the Government to address it as a matter of priority and, while doing so, to address the issue of the 5 km and 20 km. That is a small piece of legislation that could come through these Houses very promptly.

I want to highlight some other loopholes that have affected Part 4 tenancies in Ireland. These are situations where a good thing is being used as a lever for insecurity - for example, retrofitting, which is something we want to see happen.Cén fáth nach mbeadh a leithéid de rud ar fáil chun spreagadh a thabhairt do mhic léinn ardchaighdeán a bhaint amach trí Ghaeilge freisin? Luaigh sé freisin an laghdú atá sa mhéid marcanna a thugtar don scrúdú béil, rud a chuir iontas orm mar shílfinn go bhfuil an scrúdú béil i measc na rudaí is tábhachtaí maidir le cur chun cinn na Gaeilge. Mura bhfuil daoine in ann an teanga a labhairt, níl aon todhchaí ag an teanga sin.

Luaigh mé níos luaithe an méid atá á dhéanamh ar leibhéal an chultúir. Tréaslaím le TG4 agus le Raidió na Gaeltachta agus le leithéidí The Irish Times. Léim Alan Titley agus gabhaim ann go rialta agus luaigh mé Éanna Ó Caollaí. Tá daoine ann ag treabhadh an fhóid maidir le cur chun cinn na Gaeilge ar leibhéal ardchaighdeáin. Bhí mé an-tógtha an oíche cheana, agus mé ag éisteacht agus ag breathnú ar "Glór Tíre", leis an méid Gaeilge a raibh á fí isteach acu leis an mBéarla. Shíl mé gur bealach é sin chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn i measc iad siúd a bhfuil ar bheagán Gaeilge, b'fhéidir, nó nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge 100% ar a dtoil acu, díreach mar nach bhfuil sé 100% ar mo thoil agam féin ach an oiread.

Mholfainn cúpla rud eile sa mhéid ama atá fágtha agam. Mar a dúirt mé cheana, mura bhfuil saoránach in ann a chuid gnó a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge leis an Stát nó le Roinn an Rialtais, ní fiú reachtaíocht a bheith ann. Tá gá le hathrú meoin ansin lena chinntiú go bhfuil na cearta ag lucht labhartha na Gaeilge. Shílfeá in amanna gur beag suim ná cumhacht atá ag na polaiteoirí ach is iad na státseirbhísigh atá ag cur bac ar dhul chun cinn anseo. Tá súil agam nach bhfuil sé sin fíor. Tá go leor státseirbhíseach a bhfuil meas acu ar an nGaeilge ach tá gá anois le fianaise go bhfuil dul cinn á dhéanamh agus le déanamh.

Sa deireadh, bíodh dul chun cinn sa Tuaisceart maidir le hAcht na Teanga. Táimid ag fanacht leis ó Chomhaontú Aoine an Chéasta agus ansin ó Chomhaontú Chill Rìmhinn in 2006. Gealladh reachtaíocht maidir leis an teanga ó shin. Caithfimid dul i dteagmháil leis na haontachtaithe agus a rá leo nach aon chailleadh é cead cultúrtha a thabhairt do lucht na Gaeilge. Caithfimid tabhairt faoi bhealach nua. Mar a dúradh i gcomhaontú na bliana seo caite, Ré Nua, Cur Chuige Nua, ba cheart go mbeadh a leithéid in ann dúinn. Tá sé de dhíth orainn ó Thuaidh agus ó Dheas.