Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-14
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Conor Murphy (SF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I move amendment No. 2:
In page 6, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:
“(5) Within twelve months of the commencement of this Bill the Minister for Housing shall lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the implications of Part 2 of the Bill for returning Irish migrants, and in particular those Irish citizens returning to live in Ireland following extended periods of residence in other jurisdictions to ensure that the operation of the habitual residence conditions do not act as a barrier to Irish citizens being abled to reside within the state as access social housing support subject to the eligibility conditions set out in the Housing Acts.”.
This amendment seeks to ask the Minister to bring back a report on this issue. The intentions behind this Bill may well have been good but the delivery of it has left a lot to be desired. One of the issues that came up during dialogue has nothing to do with migrants but concerns people from Ireland who have been working away abroad all of their lives and with to come home to retire. It concerns this issue of habitual residence and I can tell the Minister I have personal experience across a range of issues from living North of the Border where habitual residence frequently frustrates people who are Irish citizens living on this island from having access to certain Government services. In relation to this Bill, the amendment seeks that the habitual residence conditions do not act as a barrier to those who have perhaps not worked here or have been resident here but have worked away for all of their lives and do not have a history of paying into the State or have a history of employment here but are Irish residents but perhaps do not have an address to come back to, that they do not find themselves falling foul of this.
I know from my own experience over the years of dealing with people like the Irish in Britain, the challenges that face people who have gone over there as teenagers and have worked all of their lives and in their twilight years want to come home to set up back here and live out their remaining days in their home country. This amendment seeks a report be done on this issue to ensure the habitual residence conditions do not act as a barrier to Irish citizens being able to reside here. It has nothing to do with other migrants who come here. That is a different process altogether and one that has to be operated in a fair and transparent way by the Government. This specifically relates to these people who are Irish citizens and who have been abroad for many years.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:15+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-14