asked the Minister for Justice whether he is aware of the number of citizens who are under notice to quit their homes; and, if so, whether, to alleviate hardship, he will introduce legislation to prevent evictions during the present scarcity of housing accommodation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Citizens and Notices to Quit.
The service of a notice to quit is entirely a private matter between the landlord and tenant of which nobody else need necessarily be aware and is merely a preliminary step in the ejectment proceedings which the landlord may be contemplating. There is, however, a wide gap between the service of a notice to quit and the securing by the landlord of an order for possession and, in the present state of the law, this is a gap which, I venture to say, most landlords will find it very difficult, if not impossible, to bridge. The normal rights of landlords to recover possession of dwellings to which the Rent Restrictions Act, 1946, applies—and these would include most, if not all, of the dwellings with which I think the Deputy is concerned—are severely restricted by Section 37 of the Act. The provisions of that section amount to an almost complete abrogation of landlords' rights and, on the information at present at my disposal, I am not satisfied that any more stringent provisions could be justified.
Would the Minister consider extending the provisions of the Rent Restrictions Act to new houses?
That is a separate question.