Vol. 525 No. 3
91 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on the report of the commission on the private rented residential sector; if the Government has accepted the recommendations made by the commission; if it is intended to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations; when the legislation will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24795/00]
I welcome the very comprehensive report of the commission on the private rented residential sector. The recommendations contained in it are far reaching and, I believe, can form the basis for a radical reform of the private rented sector in Ireland.
Many of the recommendations have implications for the landlord and tenant legislative code and for the taxation code which are the responsibility of my colleagues, the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Minister for Finance, respectively. Consultations with a number of relevant Departments are taking place in relation to these issues. The report has also been considered by the housing forum, which generally supported the recommendations and considered they would provide a good basis for the long-term development of the sector, if implemented as a package.
I intend to submit to Government comprehensive proposals arising from the report as soon as possible.
I did not ask the Minister of State to describe the report, I asked him what he was going to do about it. Has the Government accepted the recommendations of the report? What happened to the Minister of State's promise in July, when the report was published, to submit proposals to Government in September? Is he making proposals to Government to introduce legislation to provide some protection for the 500,000 people in this country living in private rented accommodation who have no legal protection against summary eviction and rents being put up at any time and by any amount a landlord feels like?
I remind the Deputy that his question asked me to give my views on the report, which I did. He then asked me if the Government had accepted the recommendations.
Has it?
I told the Deputy the matter is coming before the Government shortly.
So the Government has not accepted the recommendations.
The proposals are under discussion with a number of Departments. The draft memorandum has been prepared and discussed. The final memorandum will be put before the Government in two or three weeks time. I made a passing reference to September when the report was published at the end of August.
It was in the Minister of State's statement – it was not a passing reference.
That was a bit optimistic. There is no deliberate delay in proceeding with the issue. The issues are complex and a number of other Departments are involved. The Government is proceeding as a matter of urgency with its consideration of it. It will involve very extensive legislation, which will have to be drawn up after the Government has made its decisions. All will be revealed when the Government decision is finally made in regard to the matters.
However, the Government supports the general thrust of the commission's report. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the chairman, Tom Dunne, and all the members of the commission who worked very hard on this important national issue for over 12 months and produced a very comprehensive report. I want to pay tribute to them in the House.
On a point of order, can I ask a second supplementary before the Minister of State uses up all the time? These are time limited questions and the Minister of State's tactic is quite transparent. For how much longer is the Government going to put this issue on the long finger? It was before the commission for a year.
It is running out of time.
It is now rattling between different Departments and back and forth to the housing forum. How many more tenants will be evicted from their accommodation, how much higher will rents go and how much more suffering will be endured by the half a million people living in private rented accommodation before the Government does what has been obviously needed for so long, which is to introduce legislation to provide protection for those tenants? Can the Minister of State give a straight answer to that question, rather than these long winded—
Platitudes.
—kicking for touch replies about committees and Departments, before we see any sign of action from the Government?
This issue was left unattended for many years.
Answer the question.
Standard answer No. 2.
Although three of my predecessors were members of Deputy Gilmore's party, nothing was done about it in recent years.
That is not true.
To suggest this has been put on the long finger, is stretching the imagination a bit. I took the initiative, the Government supported me and the commission has made recommendations. All members of the Opposition ignored this issue when they were in Government.
That is not true.
The Minister of State is in Government now.
That is what the Minister of State is doing now, he is ignoring it.
No, I am not. I would expect a fairer comment from Deputy Yates. He is new to this brief and he should know a little bit more—
The Minister of State should have the heads of the Bill ready.
The Minister of State, without interruption.
I have expressed here on numerous occasions my concern for the security of tenure of tenants in private rented accommodation. I have recognised the position of landlords and outlined that I am anxious to develop—
Where is the legislation?
—a strong private rental sector in the economy. I put together a comprehensive commission representative of all views—
That means another report. Nothing will be done.
It will be left on the shelf.
—and due consideration must be given to its report before final decisions can be made. That is what the Government is doing.
It will be left for the next Government.
The Government is acting responsibly and doing things that no previous Government was prepared to do in the past ten years.
