Labour City Councillor Niall Mc Nelis said the eviction ban must be extended until the end of 2023 to safeguard vulnerable renters from entering homelessness.
He was speaking in advance of a Labour Party emergency housing measures motion to be debated in Dáil Éireann today Thursday, February 9.
“The word crisis no longer describes the situation we find ourselves in when it comes to housing. Not enough homes are being built and the overreliance on the private sector has worsened the housing disaster,” he said.
“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.
He said that today (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.
“Local authorities are crucial to delivering on housing. We are calling on the Minister for Housing to introduce a monthly reporting system from each local authority on the tenant-in-situ scheme. We need to have comprehensive data on what is available out there in Galway,” Cllr McNelis added.
“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 Galway City and County 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.
“Ultimately we need to build homes. Government is consistently failing to deliver on its targets. We need an emergency public house building programme using the full resources of the State with monthly reporting on the number of housing commencements by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the LDA. We need to build an Ireland that works,” he concluded.
