A People Before Profit bill to ban evictions has progressed to detailed scrutiny stage, after the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning accidentally failed to oppose it in the Dáil.
Kieran O'Donnell, Minister of State in the Department of Housing, had intended to oppose the bill on behalf of the Government.
However, when the Dáil was asked by the Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl if it agreed to second reading of the bill, Mr O'Donnell did not oppose it.
A People Before Profit bill to ban evictions has progressed to detailed scrutiny stage, after the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning accidentally failed to oppose it in the Dáil | https://t.co/DOjtQcvONo pic.twitter.com/cp6QwtbOyB
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 22, 2023
A few moments later, Mr O'Donnell told the Ceann Comhairle that he was opposing the bill, but he was told that it was too late.
He asked Seán Ó Fearghaíl for leniency, for what he described as a "rookie error".
"I'd ask you to be some bit flexible just on this occasion," Mr O'Donnell said.
However, the Ceann Comhairle insisted that he would not overturn the decision.
"There's well established practice, you call for a decision, the decision was made, and I'm not prepared to have it unmade", he said.
The purpose of the bill is to introduce a ban on evictions for the duration of the current housing emergency.
