Confusion over Eviction Ban Highlights Government Housing Failure

Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik said the dithering by Government on the eviction ban highlights Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s failure to tackle the housing crisis.

Deputy Bacik said:

“A fundamental change of approach is necessary at local and national level to tackle the failures in housing. An eviction ban is not a silver bullet but it will stem the crisis and provide certainty to the thousands of renters at risk if the eviction ban is lifted at the end of the month.

“During Labour’s national day of action at the weekend, across the country, people expressed their concerns about the potential lifting of the temporary ban, their genuine fears of entering homelessness and their disappointment at the failure of this Government to deliver on housing.

“Having a roof over your head and a place to call home is a basic right. Every household should have a home of their own.

“The playing off of renters’ rights versus landlords interests goes to the heart of the profiteering at the heart of the housing crisis. The Government can’t continue to treat housing like a commodity and see it for what it is – the absolute fundamental essential to any functioning economy and society.

“Politics is about choices. The choices that Governments make, or don’t make, affect people’s lives. We are calling for Government to take a compassionate, and the most sensible, approach and extend the eviction ban on a temporary basis until more housing stock comes on stream.”