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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Jun 1941

Vol. 83 No. 12

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - House Rents.

asked the Minister for Justice whether having regard to the deleterious effect which serious urban unemployment and the Emergency Powers (No. 83) Order will have on the incomes of the wage-earning population, he is prepared to introduce proposals immediately for the purpose of (a) stabilising house rents at the level obtaining in August, 1939; (b) preventing the eviction of people unable to pay their rents, and (c) providing for the renewal of tenancy agreements which are due to expire during the currency of the emergency situation, and, if so, whether he will state when such proposals will be made available.

Mr. Boland

The issues which the Deputy raises in this question are primarily of an economic nature arising out of the emergency situation, and, for a statement of the Government's attitude generally in the matter, I do not think that I can do better than refer the Deputy to the reply given by the Minister for Finance on the 19th March last to a question on somewhat similar lines asked by Deputy Norton. As regards the particular question of rents, I would remind the Deputy that the existing Rent Restriction Acts apply to a wide range of dwellings, including, probably, the great majority of dwellings occupied by the class of persons most affected, and that the effect of these Acts is to control rents by reference to the 1914 standard, and to prevent any arbitrary increases of rent.

It must, of course, be understood that I am not to be taken as accepting the suggestion in the Deputy's question as to the effect of the Emergency Powers (No. 83) Order on the incomes of the wage-earning population.

Is the Minister not aware of the fact that new houses are not subject to the Rent Restrictions Act? Does he propose to take any steps to ensure that, in existing circumstances, landlords will not be permitted to exploit the purchasers of those houses?

Mr. Boland

My information is that most of the new houses are occupied by people who are not likely to be affected, because, generally, their houses were built and subsidised by local authorities.

I suggest to the Minister that he should consult the Minister for Local Government on this matter. What the Minister has stated is, surely, not the position.

Mr. Boland

Most of them, I understand, are subsidised.

Houses built by local authorities are not affected by the Rent Restrictions Act at all.

Mr. Boland

I did not say they were. I said that the rents in these cases are being subsidised by the Government or by the local authorities.

Does not the Minister know that the rents are still high?

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