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LAST UPDATE | 19 Mar
SINN FÉIN HAS called for the tenant in situ scheme to be reinstated in order to protect renters from homelessness.
It has been suspended since the end of last year, as the outgoing government did not agree on new funding targets in time.
The scheme allows tenants to stay in their home even if the landlord decides to sell. The council or the Housing Agency can buy the property from the landlord and the tenants can stay and avoid eviction.
In more than half of eviction cases, the landlord is selling the property.
Since April 2023, more than 2,500 households have been able to avoid homelessness because of the scheme.
Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said that the outgoing coalition “didn’t get its act together” in time to agree on funding last year and, as a result, “several hundred” applications have been stalled.
“And obviously in some of those cases, the landlords are likely to walk away completely.”
Sinn Féin, which is tabling a Dáil motion on the subject, has criticised proposed changes to the scheme which it says would make it more restrictive and therefore cause people to fall into homelessness.
One of the new rules – that hasn’t yet been green lit by Minister James Browne – would mean a landlord selling a home to a local authority would have to be in receipt of a social housing support payment for two years prior to the sale.
Ó Broin also said that single people and couples without children are being wrongly deprioritised by the system.
He said that the need for the opposition to continuously fight for the survival of the scheme shows that housing is not a priority for the government.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank has warned that the “loss of momentum” with homes being built was “greater than expected” at the end of last year and will continue into this year.
The government had issued revised housing completion targets of 41,000 this year in its programme for government, but it’s estimated that housing completions for this year will be just 35,000.
Ó Broin said it’s “very concerning, but not at all surprising” that the govenrment will fall short of it targets.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. We do not have to accept housing failure.”
The same view was held by other opposition parties who spoke on the plinth at Leinster House today.
Some 30,330 new dwellings were completed last year, down from 32,695 the year previous in 2023, despite promises that nearly 40,000 would be built.
Labour Party housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan said today: “They spun and spun this 40,000 figure. They could not meet it, they were not going to meet it, and it’s clear again today that they can’t meet the figures from this year.”
It was reported on Monday that over half of Ireland’s local authorities are failing to collect money from owners of derelict sites, and figures suggest that councils are owed more than €20 million in unpaid levies.
Sheehan says there’s been too much attention put on councils, and not enough put on the failures of government.
However, he added, local authorities who are not doing their job should be held to account by the minister.
The call will go unheeded by NRA paid Politicians who wouldn’t even change their minds if it was one of their own kids. Then again no fear of that happening as they go expensive private schools.
@Mick McGuinness: that is so true.
@Mick McGuinness: there are 50 Republicans refusing to agree to any changes and 73 million Americans who are ok with this as they voted for trump and his cult. Clinton brought in some legislation but guess who reversed it…..
@Mick McGuinness: I do reckon that they would change their mind if it was one of their own kids.
@Mick McGuinness: The NRA is no longer in a financial position to pay off politicians-not since 2016 when they went bankrupt.
The second amendment is more influential now and is supported by some of the population.
Raising the age to 21 for semi auto rifles sounds sensible as is for pistols.
There is no reasonable reason for a person to own an automatic rifle. A hunter only needs at most a double barrel shotgun or a single bolt rifle.
@Jason Walsh: unless you’re an American. Or Swiss, as they have the highest ownership of all types of guns with zero gun violence as they are not Americans.
@Paul Furey: The Swiss are a special case. Almost all of those guns are military weapons kept by reserve soldiers it’s just that nearly everyone is a reserve soldier.
Ah Mitch McConnell… “this has nothing to do with essy access to Firemans… its mental health, schools” etc… Jesus wept…utter bollix…
@John Bathe: I’d stop fighting them on the “it’s mental health” point. I would double down on it, agree and then put in rules that block access without significant checks, forced waiting times, forced training etc. Just pretend it is mental health and make it WAY harder for someone to do that again. And to be fair, I can’t see a healthy person going on a rampage.
And I call for myself to win the lotto.
@Brian Henoll: it would actually be reinstating a law they had before that was allowed lapse. After the ban expired sales of assault rifles shot up to levels it was never at. You are letting your ignorance show
@Craic_a_tower: it’s you who’s displaying their ign0rance with your unnecessarily aggressive comment. Quite sad really.
@Fergal McDonagh: yeah somebody making an ignorant joke about the cause of people dying is just innocent fun and I am the bad guy
@Craic_a_tower: Put the shovel down .!
@Craic_a_tower: Put the shovel down..!
@Craic_a_tower: think you are missing the point but have a nice bank holiday weekend.
@Brian Henoll: no you missed what you said as a bad joke for something they did before as if it is not possible. Ignorance
Tougher requirements yes, but the sheer number of weapons in circulation is mental. The pride in gun culture and ownership. Gun shops need to face more stringent legislature, weapon manufacturers need to be brought to heel. And the NRA given a serious financial slap. Isn’t there supposed to be a gun buyback program?
But this is all down to the split in the senate and Mitch the Birch.
On the Twitter there was a thread on families and individuals displaying their vast collection of firearms. As though they are proud that they have enough weaponry to halve the population of their home town. Sick.
Even if he got all of the measures suggested passed (he’ll be lucky to get any but still) it would do nothing to address the culture that makes people think guns are for defence and want them. They are tools for killing which is something few would want to have.
OK there are guns which aren’t powerful enough to kill, they are toys for playing games with.
The first question anyone should have to answer when buying a gun is “What do you intend to kill with this”.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: If I was forced to live in Detroit tomorrow I’d buy a gun. It’s easy for you to say because the chance of a guy coming into your house looking to rob you and silence witnesses is much less than it is in some parts of the US.
@v39e84kK: I ón the other hand would not, I have no idea how to use one effectively and no desire to learn. Cameras and locks would be my approach there. Here there are five dogs live in the house.
Biden can approve an air strike in The Middle East, or send weapons to Ukraine, but can’t limit the availability of guns in the US itself.
@A Kelly: Yes, the separation of powers in the US largely leaves law making up the congress. That’s a good feature of their government.
Jaysus, you can’t even buy a beer until you are 21 but you can buy an assault rifle. WTF is wrong with that country?
@Handsome McWonderful: the US is so obsessed with “freedom”, they are willing to imprison kids in school so nutters with guns can roam free!
@Handsome McWonderful: the US is so obsessed with “freedom”, they are willing to imprison kids in school so nutters with guns can roam free!
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