A major component of a bill proposed last year by Minister of State Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran will be incorporated into the Government’s forthcoming amendment to the Land and Conveyancing Reform Act 2013.
Minister Moran’s Bill, the Keeping People in their Homes Bill 2017, is a piece of legislation that aims to avoid evictions and home repossessions for distressed borrowers in danger of losing their homes. Elements of this Bill will be used by the Government to amend the existing act.
The heads of the Bill are currently being drafted and the Independent Alliance, of which Minister Moran is a member. He believes it must remain a major priority of Government to ensure it is enacted without delay.
Minister Moran said: “The number of mortgage accounts in arrears over 90 days remains at a shockingly high level of 50,688. The Government Bill aims to provide protection to home owners facing repossession and provides clarity to Irish courts on examining the proportionality of granting or executing possession orders on people’s homes.
“The Bill will allow courts to consider the circumstances and impact of home loss on dependents and children in the household. This means that courts can take into consideration the whole household’s circumstances and the impact that granting, adjourning, varying, postponing or executing an order for possession of a home would have on their lives.”
Minister for Transport, Shane Ross added: “It provides a common sense and legal based solution that can help us meet the Independent Alliance’s commitment in the Programme of Partnership which states that we want to keep families in their homes and to avoid repossessions.
“The loss of a home can be one of the most serious breaches of the right to respect for the home. The Independent Alliance firmly believes that throwing families out of their homes is not the answer.”
