Cork Labour reps call for extension on eviction ban

Labour Party representatives in Cork have called for the eviction ban to be extended until the end of 2023 in order to “safeguard vulnerable renters from entering homelessness”.

Councillor John Maher and Labour representative Peter Horgan were speaking in advance of a Labour Party emergency housing measures motion to be debated in Dáil Éireann on Thursday.

Councillor John Maher said the word crisis “no longer describes the situation we find ourselves in when it comes to housing” and said not enough homes are being built.

“Yet Government are either failing to reach their own targets or failing to set targets to begin with. Housing for All has failed as its targets are too low, and the government is not meeting its own delivery targets on social and affordable housing.

“A generation of young people are locked out of home ownership or secure and affordable tenancies, with 92% of 18 to 24-year-olds concerned they will never be able to afford a home, while half are considering emigration according to Virgin Media’s State of the Nation Survey.” 

 “On Thursday Labour will demand a change in this failing approach. We need to see a suite of emergency housing measures – starting with the extension of the eviction man until the end of 2023. This must be backed up with a mandate to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to inform local authorise when a notice for eviction on the grounds of sale has been served to a tenant,” he said.

Last week, Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien said the status of the Government's current ban on evictions is being kept under "very close review" amid calls from housing campaigners to extend the moratorium further.

The moratorium on evictions is currently to remain in place until April 1, when it will then be phased out in a staggered process until June.

Peter Horgan said that vacant and derelict homes are another tool that must be better utilised to tackle the housing crisis.

“The most recent CSO Vacant Dwelling Indicators based on metered electricity consumption show a vacancy rate for dwellings of 4.3% in Q4 2021 with many properties in Cork lying empty.

“Labour will call on Government to commence the rapid compulsory purchase of vacant properties by local authorities, and mandate the LDA to CPO and assemble small sites for owner occupier co-operative housing developments.”