Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2020-03-26
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Paul Murphy (PBP), Dublin South-West

I will be brief. Does the Minister of State actually believe there are any circumstances in which this legislation will not be needed in three months plus? Are there any circumstances, for example, where in four months it will be completely okay to allow landlords to evict tenants or increase their tenants' rent? Is it not absolutely clear, even at this stage, that in three months plus we will still be dealing with the aftermath of this crisis? That is a best-case scenario, where we will be in an aftermath phase that will have a major impact on renters. Renters will still need some relief from that situation.
My second point is how can the Government justify on one hand extending the substantial powers and restrictions on civil liberties discussed here last week until November and yet these powers only last for three months?
I appreciate both of them can be extended but why is there a discrepancy with November for that and with three months for this?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2020-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-03-26