I am glad to have this opportunity to raise the U-turn by the Government on the abolition of ground rent. Despite the commitment given in the programme for Government and the repeated promises by Fianna Fáil to abolish ground rent I have discovered the Government has no intention of abolishing this unjust and archaic rent.
This scandalous about turn is particularly obvious in the case of Fianna Fáil and the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Woods. In March 1997 he initiated the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rent Abolition) Bill. This Fianna Fáil Private Member's Bill received the support of the Dáil on Second Stage and was subsequently referred to the Select Committee on Equality and Law Reform. It is worth highlighting to the House what the Minister, Deputy Woods said on that occasion:
Fianna Fáil is convinced that the time has now come for the historic reform of home ownership, for the final abolition of ground rents and the introduction of a simple system of registration in the Land Registry.
He went on to say:
The onus is on us as legislators to repeal these outdated ground rents. I welcome the fact that the Government has accepted this important Bill proposed by me on behalf of my party. There is now an onus on the Government to join us in ensuring its passing all remaining Stages without delay.
If it was right and proper for Fianna Fáil to propose legislation to abolish ground rent in 1997, why can it not be enacted in 1999? We are told that other priorities are being attended to in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Taoiseach informs the Dáil regularly on the Order of Business that there are constitutional difficulties with the abolition of ground rents. Once again, Fianna Fáil says one thing in Opposition and something completely different in Government. Why can the Minister, Deputy Woods's, Private Member's Bill not be reintroduced by his party, now in Government, following the two year time lapse?
The situation is more outrageous when one considers that only this week pensioners living in Rialto, Dublin, received demand notices from solicitors acting on behalf of landlords.
Will the Government now recommend that people should not pay demands for ground rent? I understand about 250,000 homes in this jurisdiction are still liable for ground rent. Between 300 to 400 householders annually are still dragged before the courts in relation to this matter. This shameful situation is further compounded by the hypocrisy of a Government which received support from this House to abolish ground rent two years ago but has to date decided not to fulfill its promise to the people.
I call on the Government to reintroduce the lapsed Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rent Abolition) Bill, 1997, immediately. To do other wise would make a mockery of Parliament and further increase cynicism in politics.