Opposition bill calls for 12-month ban on evictions to cut homelessness
By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
A bill is to be introduced to the Dáil to call for a 12-month ban on evictions.
People Before Profit is calling on all TDs to support their bill, which is scheduled to be debated on Wednesday at 10am.
The bill would prevent all ‘no fault’ evictions, allowing only for tenants to be ejected from their tenancies for reasons like anti-social behaviour, damage to the property over and above normal wear and tear, invalidating insurance or breach of lease.
The proposed ban would be for a 12-month period initially but can be extended if requested by the Minister for Housing, giving consideration to the threat to living standards and risk of poverty presented by inflation and the housing emergency.
A winter eviction ban in place since November, had hoped to stem the rising number of people who are homeless, which has reached new record highs for six consecutive months.
There were 11,632 people recorded as homeless in December – including 3,442 children.
The Government has said the moratorium has helped reduce the rate at which homelessness is increasing; but accepted it has not stopped its rise, as had been hoped.
Currently, the winter eviction ban is due to expire at the end of March.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said that because housing and homelessness is getting worse, all parties in the Dáil should “extend and strengthen” the eviction ban.
“Even the government themselves has said that more than 2,000 more households might have faced eviction over the winter months if the mortarium had not been introduced,” he said.
“If the ban is lifted, we will be facing an avalanche of thousands of evictions into homelessness.
“This cannot happen as homeless services and emergency accommodation are stretched beyond breaking point, and homeless figures have reached the highest ever recorded figure of 11,600 people- 3,000 of which are children.”
He also said the government should buy properties where people are facing homelessness because of eviction.
On Monday, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien indicated that no decision has been made on whether it would be extended.
