Eviction ban must be extended until end of year, says TD

The eviction ban must be extended until the end of the year to help provide security to renters, says Sinn Fein TD Denise Mitchell.

The ban is due to end at the end of February and opposition parties have called on the Government to extend the cessation of evictions in an effort to slow the increase in homelessness figures.

The Dublin Bay North TD said the motion will be debated in the Dail on Tuesday.

“Renters need security,” Deputy Mitchell said.

“The government’s eviction ban ends at the end of next month and I am extremely concerned about the number of families and individual renters in Dublin who will face being made homelessness if it is not extended.”

Deputy Mitchell said that the Government should have used the past few months to introduce a “series of emergency measures” including “increasing and accelerating the delivery of social homes.”

“That is why Sinn Féin has tabled a motion this week calling on government to extend the eviction ban until the end of the year. But we are calling on them to do much more than that.

“They need to make the kind of emergency interventions we have called for to increase and accelerate the delivery of social and affordable homes.

“They also need to introduce emergency planning and procurement powers, and utilise modern building technologies on vacant buildings and to deliver modular homes.

“The government must recognise that we are in a housing emergency and that an emergency plan must be put in place.”