Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill 2020: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2020-07-31
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Micheál Carrigy (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and congratulate him on his new role. We worked together in Longford-Westmeath for a number of years and I know that he is an extremely capable public representative. He will do an excellent job in the Department and I wish him well. I will back up what Senator Davitt said. Having been a member of the local authority in Longford for the last ten years, I have seen the support that has been given with regard to purchasing housing within the county. This is real money, unlike the Apple money which Sinn Féin was spending prior to the election.
I welcome the Bill. It is necessary to protect tenants who are having difficulty paying rent due to Covid-19 and I will fully support it. I acknowledge the numerous issues that have been mentioned. Homelessness has been mentioned. I praise the work of the Simon Communities in the midlands. It does a tremendous amount of work for people in the midlands who have been made homeless.
One issue that has arisen during the Covid-19 pandemic is that of remote working. I believe we will see the housing market in Dublin freeing up as more people live back down the country and work from home. This will have an effect on the market in Dublin, increasing availability and bringing down prices.
I will pick out a couple of points in the Bill. At one point it refers to the Residential Tenancies Board as an intermediary with regard to disputes. I firmly believe that the powers of the RTB need to be increased. We need to look at stronger legislation, including legislation to protect some landlords. Many of them are accidental landlords. We must also protect residents who live close to tenants who have been involved in anti-social behaviour. I know of numerous cases in which tenants have been found guilty of such behaviour yet landlords and local authorities cannot get orders for them to be removed.
Senator Keogan and I spoke yesterday about the help-to-buy scheme. It is not available to anybody who wishes to purchase a second-hand house. It only applies to newly-built houses, of which there are none in many counties. In my own county of Longford, no newly-built houses are available for purchase. We need to develop an affordable housing strategy to create sustainable communities. I ask the Minister of State to make this a priority not just for my own area but for the country as a whole.
When we are developing and planning these communities, we need to consult with the existing residents and families and to listen to their concerns so that we do not impinge on their quality of life. I ask that the Department look at a number of these points. I am confident that the Minister of State will deliver in his Department and I wish him well.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-07-31