The Government looks on course to win tomorrow's Dáil vote on ending the no-fault eviction ban.
It follows Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien signalling in the Dáil tonight that the Coalition will accept the Regional Independent Group’s amendments on its counter motion.
The RIG had been in talks with Minister O'Brien this morning in relation to eight different amendments on wider housing policy.
Now that the Government looks certain to accept them, the Regional Independent Group TDs will support the Government's position.
There will be a series of Dáil votes tomorrow afternoon but the outcome now looks beyond dispute.
This evening, the Dáil debated the Sinn Féin motion seeking to compel the Government to extend its moratorium on no fault evictions until January.
Sinn Féin warned that the Government is driving homelessness to a level "that nobody ever thought was possible".
Its spokesperson on housing Eoin Ó Broin accused the Cabinet of "willingly, consciously and knowingly" increasing homelessness by ending the ban on no fault evictions.
Tabling the motion in the Dáil to extend the ban, he condemned the Government's "hastily cobbled together" response to the latest chapter in the housing crisis.
Ending the ban will see some tenants "forced to emigrate", Deputy Ó Broin predicted, with many others driven into emergency accommodation.
But with those services "almost at capacity", people "will be forced to sleep rough" or be "referred to garda stations" to find a bed, he added.
Sinn Féin has warned that the Govt is driving homelessness to a level "that nobody ever thought was possible". The Dáil is debating a SF motion which seeks to extend the eviction ban | https://t.co/j0bcoEk3ku pic.twitter.com/JIkaBC0kpy
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 21, 2023
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy criticised Government backbenchers for failing to attend the debate, while Imelda Munster accused them of showing "contempt" by their absence.
Deputy Carthy said that the generation which is being denied homes will "kick them out" of the chamber come the next election.
Mr O'Brien responded that the decision to end the no-fault ban was not taken lightly, but insisted that it was the right one.
Tabling an amendment, he said that the "crux" of the Government's response is to increase supply.
The Sinn Féin motion would "only make a difficult situation worse", he claimed, and accused the party of "spinning" misinformation and politicising the crisis "for their own benefit".
Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien has said the decision to end the no-fault ban was not taken lightly by the Government, but he insisted that it was the right move. He said extending the ban would not increase housing supply | Read more: https://t.co/8gTJBbK3rj pic.twitter.com/vxgInl4ktK
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 21, 2023
'Entirely predictable devastation'
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik welcomed the "sensible and compassionate" Sinn Féin motion, which she said has "widespread support" across the House.
She dismissed the Government counter-motion, saying that it left her "puzzled" as to why the Cabinet had not used recent months to ramp-up supply.
"There is no emergency accommodation", she said, "and that is a serious, serious crisis".
Deputy Bacik warned that ending the ban would cause entirely predictable "devastation", and expects that, if it does not change course, the Government will face a no-confidence motion next week.
Social Democrats housing spokesperson Cian O'Callaghan appealed for Green TDs to "show some backbone" and join him in supporting the Sinn Féin motion.
Richard Boyd Barrett, of Solidarity-PBP, said that "the cold, hard, cruel truth" is that the Government is forcing people out of their homes when there "is nowhere to go".
Meanwhile, Áontú leader Peadar Tóibín tabled an amendment to the Government's counter-motion on the eviction ban.
Deputy Tóibín calls for the ban to be extended in certain circumstances including where a tenant or their family member has a disability, is seriously ill, has a terminal illness, is pregnant, has given birth in the last three years or is aged over 65.
Specifically, in the case of illness, Deputy Tóibín's amendment states that an extension of the ban should apply to people who have a cancer diagnosis, suffered a stroke, a person with advanced heart disease or somebody with poor mental health.
Independent TD for Galway East Seán Canney had published eight amendments last night.
These include a tax relief scheme for small landlords; guaranteeing HAP payments to landlords where the tenant defaults, and removing barriers to older people in long-term nursing home care who wish to lease out their homes.
Escalation of housing crisis
Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of making "a political choice to escalate the housing crisis".
Mr Varadkar replied that the Sinn Féin leader viewed housing "not a crisis to be overcome, but a political issue to be exploited".
The Taoiseach contended that the ban was always a temporary measure and to retain it would only make matters worse than they are now.
He said the Cabinet had signed off on a series of measures which would act as a safety net for those who will receive notices to quit in the coming months.
These included Local Authorities buying more homes; expanding the tenant-in-situ scheme; as well as tax changes for small landlords in order to increase supply.
However, the Sinn Féin leader argued that a "tsunami of misery" was going to be visited on renters, because the Government's policies were either not working efficiently or not fit to scale.
Tenant support scheme
A claim made by the Minister for the Environment on RTÉ radio that a new tenant support scheme will be in place by the start of April has been corrected by the Department of Housing.
Eamon Ryan said that tenants will be given first refusal on buying their home, should their landlord sell up, from 1 April.
Speaking on RTÉ News at One, the minister said that the Government does "not believe it will require legislation", and can instead "expand significantly" the tenant-in-situ scheme and use it as "a mechanism".
This is the third of three purchase options included in a Government initiative announced today, and targets renters not in receipt of any State supports.
However, the Department of Housing said this afternoon that the measure will need legislation.
While this "is being advanced as a matter of priority", a statement said that "it will not be in place by 1st April".
'Degree of frustration'
At a meeting of Green TDs and Senators last night to discuss protections for renters, the backdrop to the meeting was the stated intention of Green TD Neasa Hourigan to vote in favour of extending the ban.
It is understood there was a "serious discussion" about the issue, with a "degree of frustration" being expressed that the party was in the media spotlight again due to internal divisions.
The party did not discuss, however, what sanctions might apply to Ms Hourigan if she opposes Government policy.
Additional reporting David Murphy, Tommy Meskill, Mícheál Lehane
