The Minister of State was reported as saying, I think on Friday of last week, that the Irish people were not ready to join NATO yet. He revealed the cynical agenda and the attempt to condition Irish public opinion by exploiting the tragic situation in Ukraine to try to shred the last remnants of Ireland's neutrality. We all of course condemn in the strongest terms Putin's bloody imperialist invasion and occupation of Ukraine and the attempt to crush the legitimate right of Ukrainians to self-determination. If anybo…

That is not good.

The Government has been dragged kicking and screaming into introducing an eviction ban. It is still not clear from what the Taoiseach has said - from the wording he has articulated - whether people who have current notices to quit will be protected. If they are not, his proposal is almost useless, frankly. Will he clarify that those who have current notices to quit, who may be overholding and have nowhere to go, and who are facing the imminent prospect of homelessness will be protected by the ban he is introducing?

The Taoiseach did not answer my question.

Is it the case that anybody who has a notice to quit now will be evicted?

Everybody else is not.

I did listen. Everybody is trying to understand what the Taoiseach is saying.

People facing evictions deserve clarity from the Taoiseach. We have asked three questions today and we still do not have clarity.

I am trying to get a straight answer from the Taoiseach and I would appreciate one. The Government would have had to vote on the Solidarity-People Before Profit eviction ban Bill next week but now it has announced that it will bring in an eviction ban. The situation is still not clear, however, and I ask the Taoiseach to please clarify it. I have been contacted by families for whom this is a very important matter. They have received notices to quit before the date of the legislation coming in. Will they be protecte…

So those who get notices to quit beforehand will not be covered. Can the Taoiseach just clarify this, for God's sake?

The Taoiseach will not give a straight answer. It is unbelievable.

Will the people who have notices to quit be covered - "Yes" or "No"? It is a simple question. The answer is "No".

Jesus Christ.

I am just looking for an answer.

I am still trying to get an answer out of the Taoiseach on question relating to the eviction ban. I do not understand why he will not give a straight answer. Will he please tell me if people who have current notices to quit, prior to the legislation he is promising to bring in, will be protected from eviction over the winter?

Just so it is clear.

Will the Taoiseach clarify whether it is now policy, one that we have been asking for for two years, that the Government will purchase homes where families are threatened with being evicted into homelessness? The Government should go further and proactively purchase developer projects where new houses are coming on stream so that we can get more than 10% for social and affordable housing as well as purchase sites, which should never have been sold off by the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, for the delivery …

Were the tenants in situ ?

We were calling for it for a long time and the Government ignored it.

It is not happening in my area.