asked the Minister for Justice if he will have printed and made available to all public representatives a booklet containing as far as possible the provisions of the Rent Restrictions Act, 1960.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Provisions of Rent Restrictions Act, 1960.
23.
The explanatory memorandum circulated with the Bill when introduced is being revised to incorporate the amendments inserted during the passage of the Bill through the Oireachtas and will be circulated with the final text. I think that the issue of the revised memorandum will meet the object the Deputy has in mind.
Is the Minister aware that when the Press commented on this Bill in the House they said that only lawyers were present because no-one else could understand it? Surely the man in the street will not understand the Explanatory Memorandum if it is in the same legal language as the Bill?
The main thing with which the tenant will be concerned is the proposed increase in rent. Before effect can be given to that, a statutory notice in the prescribed form must be supplied by the landlord to the tenant. That notice will include certain explanatory notes as to what the increase should be.
Nevertheless, the tenants will have to seek legal aid because they will not know what this is all about. I should like this booklet to be printed in such a way that they would know what this is all about so that, perhaps, they might be able to ignore the legal profession, who talk in terms of "fivers", and take action themselves.
Is it not true that there will arise out of the last Rent Restriction Act a volume of litigation which will constitute the foundation of a large law Bill within the next two or three years?
That is not true at all. One of the purposes of the Act is to avoid litigation as far as possible.
Those are famous last words.