Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I join with others in wishing everybody well on this International Women’s Day. I too wish to bring up the issue of housing and the appalling decision by this Government to end the ban on evictions. Like Senator Clonan, I was really struck by "Prime Time" last night and by "Morning Ireland" this morning. A woman called Grace spoke on "Morning Ireland" this morning and she said: "I have been praying to any God that's there to please just help me to get somewhere to get some security for me and my child." She said there was nowhere for her to go. She spoke about having to register as being homeless. She said that she has worked since she was 15 years of age and "The shame I feel is heart-breaking. I am breaking." This is how she described her situation. In last night's programme we saw a young man living in a car. He is sleeping in a car from week to week. He is working but he has nowhere to stay.

I will also talk about Limerick, where I live. A father of two teenagers who has lived in a house in Castletroy for 11 years is now going to be evicted in April. He literally has nowhere to go. The hubs are full. People in Limerick are not moving from the hubs.

I wish to remind the House of what happened in Limerick before the last eviction ban came in. People turned up at Garda stations to the extent where the cells became full in the main Garda station in Limerick. People turned up at the accident and emergency departments in hospitals, and sometimes they stayed there for days because there was literally nowhere for them to go. This is what we are facing when this ban is lifted. I genuinely cannot understand how this is happening.

The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has put out trite lines that if a person contacts the council the council will buy the house. Many landlords simply do not engage with local councils. That is the reality on far too many occasions. The efforts that should have been undertaken to at least address the situation just have not been done. Instead, we are facing an absolute crisis.

Another example of the crisis right now in Limerick is that homeless people are being asked by the homeless action team to phone hotels directly. They are given an offer of €1,000 per week to secure that week's accommodation but the people must make calls. If the homeless action team call the hotels then the hotels would simply say "No". This is just more evidence, from where I live in Limerick, that there is nowhere for people to go, and yet this Government is choosing to lift the ban on evictions.

The situation continues to get worse. Last week I heard the Leader say that they are turning it around, but they are not. Homeless figures are going in one direction, and one direction only. When this eviction ban is lifted, they will go in that direction far more quickly again. The damage to human beings is horrendous, and particularly to children and single mothers who too often are the victims in this type of situation. I am asking for an urgent debate on this issue. This decision must be reversed.