John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being with us, and his colleagues, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, for the speedy passage of this legislation through both Houses of the Oireachtas this week.

This emergency Bill seeks to defer the termination dates of certain residential tenancies that fall or would fall during the period beginning on the day after the enactment of the Bill and ending on 31 March next year. Its aim is to reduce the level of homelessness that will occur during the winter months as a result of a lack of emergency accommodation and-or alternative accommodation in the private rental sector. In proposing this termination pause, the Government seeks to balance the rights of property owners with the common good. That is why the measure is time-bound. While some will say this Bill does not go far enough, we always have to try to thread the needle when introducing housing legislation between measures that will have a positive impact for one cohort against possible unintended consequences on the other side.

It is important in that context to say the deferral of notices of termination from taking effect during this winter will not apply where there is a failure on the tenant's behalf to comply with his or her obligations under the tenancy, such as non-payment of rent, criminality or antisocial behaviour. That said, Government is clearly of the belief that this emergency measure is needed at this time to prevent tenants being made homeless or having to source alternative accommodation in what is unquestionably a constrained market during the upcoming winter.

The number of people entering emergency accommodation has been increasing since the start of this year, due in no small part to the increases in notice of termination from private rental accommodation. There are many reasons why that has occurred and we teased out many of them with the Irish Property Owners Association, IPOA, and the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers, IPAV, at a recent joint Oireachtas committee hearing. The first is rising property values, which have taken many properties out of negative equity. They also cited the complexity of the RTB process and a tax system that does not encourage them to stay in, rising interest rates, the fact that landlords have been demonised by many in the media and Opposition over a prolonged period, and the reality that some parties, like Sinn Féin, are calling for policies such as a rental freeze and a requirement that properties no longer be reclaimed for personal or family use, or to sell on the open market.