Vol. 317 No. 9
asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that many young families in private rented accommodation in urban areas are being evicted because the wife has become pregnant and, in view of the present housing scarcity and reduction in the completion of local authority houses, if he will introduce regulations making it illegal for a person to be evicted on the grounds of pregnancy.
327.
asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that young families with one child in urban areas who seek to obtain accommodation in private rented furnished flats are being refused such accommodation specifically on the grounds that they have children and if he will introduce emergency legislation making it illegal for a landlord or landlady to refuse accommodation on these grounds having regard to the fact that this year has been designated as the International Year of the Child.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 326 and 327 together.
I am not aware of any specific case of the kind mentioned in either question. I cannot introduce the regulations that are asked for in Question No. 326 since, apart from any other consideration, there is no legislation that authorises the making of such regulations.
However, both questions are essentially concerned with the availability and cost of private rented accommodation. In reply to a question in this House on 13 November I said that the Minister for the Environment expected shortly to be in a position to make a submission to the Government in regard to the various issues arising in relation to private rented accommodation, including an assessment of the operation of the Rent Restrictions Acts, and that in the circumstances I was not at that stage in a position to make any further comment.
