I know the Minister of State said she checked this, but I have it on good authority from various people who have been forced to make access to information requests for that information.

I ask the Minister of State to give us a guarantee that will not happen in the future.

I move amendment No. 56: In page 8, to delete lines 22 to 24.

Senator Ruane has set out the concerns we have around fees and the requirement under the Aarhus Convention for them not to be prohibitively expensive. We are not aware of what the fee will be. If it is to be aligned with the planning process, starting at €220, the cost would accumulate very quickly. Appeals on forestry are very different from appeals on planning permission and the costs can quickly add up. That point was made on Second Stage on Wednesday and I am reiterating it today. We do not want any set of fees…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important legislation relating to the forestry appeals process. I share the disappointment of my colleague, Senator Boyhan, at the rushed nature of this Bill. The Minister of State opened a public consultation process on a bank holiday weekend over the summer holiday period. The quality of the consultation was obviously going to suffer and lo and behold, it did. Senator Boyhan pointed out that we did not get a digest of the submissions and were not told who had made submis…

I welcome the Minister of State. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the rental sector was already in crisis. We all know that rents were at unsustainably high levels. The daft.ie index for the second quarter of 2020 tells us that new asking rents average €1,400 across the State. In Dublin, the average new rent is more than €2,000. The RTB index shows an average monthly rent of €1,200 nationwide, and €1,700 in Dublin. The programme for Government promised to improve security and affordability for renters. Fianna Fáil's m…

Hear, hear.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, lines 8 to 10, to delete all words from and including “serves” in line 8 down to and including line 10 and substitute “in the opinion of the Board—”. I was not going to speak on this amendment because we had that agreement, but I will make a very quick point on the issue of balance. I have heard "balance" more times today, and it is a good job we are not playing a drinking game when it comes to the word "balance". There is no balance in this section because the Government is askin…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, line 12, to delete “significant”.

What Senator Higgins is saying is important and needs to be elaborated upon. Senator Ward is right in that if this goes to the courts, it will more than likely be thrown out or it will never make it to the courts in the first instance. He would say that as a middle-class white man. He views the law in a completely different way to someone who is a Traveller, an uneducated individual or, perhaps, a member of the Roma community. It is very different when a landlord says to a person to be very careful about filling in…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, line 17, after “is” to insert “deliberately and intentionally”.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 5, line 34, to delete “in relation to the payment of rent due”. I move the amendment but I do not wish to speak to it. I will, however, push it to a vote.

I move amendment No. 13: In page 7, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “PART 3 PROHIBITION OF RENT INCREASES DURING EMERGENCY PERIOD Prohibition of rent increases during emergency period 6. Notwithstanding the Act of 2004— (a) no notice of a rent increase for any tenancy or licence will be permitted during the emergency period, and (b) an increase in the rent under the tenancy or licence of a dwelling shall not be payable in respect of the emergency period or any period falling during the emergency per…

I move amendment No. 14: In page 7, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “PART 3 PROHIBITION OF NOTICES TO QUIT ON GROUNDS OF VACANT POSSESSION Prohibition of notices to quit on grounds of vacant possession 6. Notwithstanding the Act of 2004 and in order to maintain a low level communal residential occupation of emergency homeless accommodation to limit the spread of Covid-19, no Notice to Quit on grounds of a landlord seeking vacant possession to sell a property will be permitted during the emergency pe…

I move amendment No. 20: In page 8, line 4, after “shall” to insert “, subject to the consent of both parties to the Tenancy Tribunal,”.

I move amendment No. 32: In page 9, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “(c) where a tenant is at risk of homelessness having been served a notice for failure to comply with his or her obligations under the Act of 2004, provide the tenant concerned with such information in writing as will enable him or her to apply for assistance from the relevant local authority under the Housing Act 1988, including preventative measures to avoid entry into emergency accommodation. The Board shall have regard to the …

I move amendment No. 37: In page 3, line 16, after “significant” to insert “public health risks and”.

I move amendment No. 38: In page 3, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “WHEREAS the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 resulted in a significant reduction in the number of adults and children both presenting and entering emergency homeless accommodation, which in turn played a significant role in reducing the Covid-19 infection rate among residents of emergency accommodation, this should remain an objective of Government that must be sustained until such time as the risk of…

I move amendment No. 39: In page 3, lines 6 and 7, to delete “for failure to pay rent due”.

I move amendment No. 40: In page 3, lines 9 and 10, to delete “in relation to arrears of rent”.