asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware that great public concern is being caused by the delay in introducting the necessary legislation (announced by him on 3rd March, 1970) to make major changes in the law relating to occupational tenancies and to extend leasehold renewal rights and the right to purchase the fee simple to new classes of tenants including tenants of land used for outdoor sports; if he is aware that, notwithstanding the intention to provide that such legislation will be retrospective in effect, the delay in introducing it and the making known in legislative form of proposed alterations in the existing law is stultifying progress and development because of the uncertainty, loss and inconvenience to both landlords and tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter and indicate if and when it is proposed to introduce the necessary legislation.
Ceisteanna—Questious. Oral Answers. - Tenancy Rights.
A Bill, which will propose to give effect to all the changes in the law that are mentioned in the question, is at present in an advanced stage of drafting. I should say that the Bill will be a very substantial piece of legislation. It involves the consolidation with amendments of the Landlord and Tenant Acts of 1931, 1958 and 1967. The Bill will implement the various recommendations made in the two Reports of the Landlord and Tenant Commission concerning the renewal of tenancies, in particular business tenancies, the extension to new classes of persons of the right to reversionary ground leases and of the right to purchase the fee simple, the renewal of the tenancies of sports organisations, and many other matters.
I hope to be able with Government approval to introduce the Bill before Christmas.
I shall understand it if the Minister cannot do so now but could he give any information of how the business-cum-residential tenants on the Headford Estate at Kells will be treated?
That is a separate question.
In so far as there have been recommendations in the first two reports in that connection, I think I can say that, in general, we have accepted the recommendations in principle. It is very difficult to commit oneself to the precise details of a very specialised case like that, and I cannot so commit myself.