Just before the summer, we voted in this House to lift the eviction ban that protected renters in the course of the Covid emergency. We are seeing new restrictions in Dublin and, as my colleague referred to here, many people in the events, arts, hospitality and restaurant sectors have been told their jobs are likely to be lost by the weekend. We are aware that a disproportionate number of these people are renters, that renters were most affected by the job losses back in March, and that they will be most affected b…

I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in his new position. No doubt there are challenges ahead but my party colleagues and I will do everything we can to work constructively to solve the housing crisis and, where appropriate, support the Government. We must keep people in their homes and allow them to have hope for the future of their housing security. The ban on evictions and rent increases introduced by this Government a few months ago helped people. Those measures saw the numbers from the private ren…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: "(2) (a) The Government may from time to time by order extend the emergency period, either generally or with reference to any particular purpose or provision, for such period as it considers appropriate if it is satisfied that, having regard to the threat to public health presented by Covid-19 and the need to mitigate the economic effects arising from that disease, the making of such order is in the public interest. (b) Every order…

I moved amendment No. 1 and did not speak to it for a specific reason. The specific reason was that Senators Boylan, Ruane, Higgins and I met for an hour before this debate to go through the amendments. For the purposes of time we discussed grouping issues and putting some amendments through a voice vote and others to a division. We did this work to try to lessen the impact on other Members of the House. As I sit here there is a back and forth with Senators getting in and making massive speeches on an amendment I h…

I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, to delete lines 16 and 17. I wish to echo Senator Higgins's remarks. We should not be including something like this in the Bill as a criminal offence. It is a very cumbersome process. I echo Senator Keogan's point that we have a problem with literacy, particularly among non-Irish nationals, who are more likely to be living in rented accommodation. Including them as a criminal offence is very disproportionate. At the briefing with the Department on Monday, officials said that peopl…

I move amendment No. 34: In page 10, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(d) the substitution of the following subsections for subsection (4): “(4) Where a landlord serves a notice of termination in relation to the tenancy of a dwelling under this section, he or she shall at the same time serve a copy of the notice on the relevant housing authority. (5) Where a tenant on whom a notice of termination in relation to the tenancy of a dwelling has been served under this section notifies the relevant housin…

I move amendment No. 35: In page 10, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ Private residential tenancies register: publication of certain details 13 . Section 128 of the Act of 2004 is amended by the substitution of the following for subsection (4): “(4) The published register— (a) shall not contain any information, as respects a particular dwelling,that discloses or could reasonably lead to the disclosure of the identity of the landlord or the tenant of the dwelling, and (b) shall disclose, as respects…

I want to raise something the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, suggested in the Dáil last week in response to a question from Deputy Ó Broin. He said that a report carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute did not find significant rent arrears during the first three months of Covid-19. At that stage the report had not been published but it was published yesterday. The Minister's spin on it was slightly different from what the authors said. They found that before Covid, about 70,000 households did n…

I raise again the issue of the eviction ban, which was extended this week although only until next Friday, 31 July. Younger people and people working in the sectors most affected by Covid-related job losses will next week be thrown back into the insecurity of living in the private rented sector, where tenants' rights are poor. The last few months have provided security to renters. While the rest of the country is urged to be vigilant, not to travel, to maintain social distance and to wear masks, the Attorney Genera…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to the Chamber and wish him well in his new job. I had the pleasure of working with many close colleagues of the Minister on Dublin City Council and they are among the most talented of politicians. We shared a great deal in common with respect to how things worked at local authority level. The Labour Party welcomes the provisions of the Bill and the establishment of the climate action fund. However, we will support Senator Higgins's amendment. As a word of warning, my party does…

I want to discuss something that is going to happen on Monday which will affect thousands of renters throughout this country. An eviction ban was put in place at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Focus Ireland and other homelessness charities have said that this has contributed significantly to the decrease in the number of people in homelessness. Most of the people affected by job losses have been in industries like the food and accommodation sector. Some 42% of people aged between 25 and 35 are living in rented…

I wish to raise the issue of the establishment of an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, school in Dublin 12. Parents have campaigned for it for a number of years and the recent report from the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, acknowledged that Scoil Choilm is a possible location. A building patron has come forward but it is getting no engagement from the Department. It needs the Department to sanction the school and get a roll number in order for it to be able to negotiate with the current trustees of the …

I did not get a chance to congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new position last week and I would like to take the opportunity to do that now. To follow-up on the sentiments of Senator Black in relation to co-living developments, I have represented the Dublin 8 area and I am a resident there for a very long time. This is wider than simply Dublin 8. It is a question of health. I welcomed the fact that the Minister stated on radio on Friday that he did not believe that co-living was a long-term solution to the housi…