Carol Nolan urges stronger eviction protections amid tenancy extension
Carol Nolan spoke in favour of extending the emergency period specified in the Planning and Development and Residential Tenancies Act 2020 until 12 July 2021, while urging stronger protections around evictions. She welcomed the extension but criticised the lack of more robust measures and raised concerns about vulture funds and forced farm sales.
Bill overview
The speaker set out the bill's purpose as extending the emergency period in the Planning and Development and Residential Tenancies Act 2020 to 12 July 2021, while recognising and balancing the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords. She reminded the chamber that the Residential Tenancies Act 2020 provides for a limited moratorium on evictions during a 5km travel restriction - and for the 10 days following the lifting of any such restriction.
Concerns on eviction protections
Nolan welcomed the extension but asked why greater legislative imagination has not been applied to introduce far more robust protections around evictions generally. She said many people will question the limited scope of protections as currently proposed.
Vulture funds and forced farm sales
She accused so-called vulture funds of "running riot" in the country, describing their business models as questionable and unfair. Nolan also raised the issue of forced sales of farms, noting calls to address that matter since 2018 and expressing concern that it continues.
Stakeholder views
The deputy referenced that organisations such as Threshold welcome Section 1 of the bill but have expressed concerns about Section 2 and its application. She asked the minister to consider those concerns and to review the operation of Section 2.
Closing remarks and delivery
Her contribution concluded with audible interjections captured in the transcript. Throughout, she balanced a welcome for the extension with calls for broader, more substantive tenant protections.
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Goera mā aigut Ciancóirle. Minister, I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly on this bill. The purpose of this bill, as we know, is to extend the emergency period specified in the Planning and Development and Residential Tenancies Act 2020 until 12 July 2021, while recognising and balancing the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords. While this is welcome, I think there will be a lot of people asking why we do not have such or apply such legislative imagination to introducing far more robust protections around evictions more generally. We have a situation, and I have raised this a number of times, where vulture funds are running riot in this country. these vulture funds have very questionable business models, and in my mind do not constitute a fair and above-board business, and this whole issue needs to be looked at. I raised issues surrounding the forced sale of farms, and there have been calls to deal with this particular matter since 2018, and yet this issue is still going on. Getting back to the bill before us here today, I recognise that the Residential Tenancies Act 2020 provides with limited expectations for a moratorium on evictions taking place in an area during the period of a 5km travel restriction, and during the 10 days following the lifting of any such restriction. The Minister will be aware, however, that organisations such as Threshold have concerns with Section 1 of the bill. They are welcoming Section 1, but they have concerns with Section 2 and the application of Section 2. I just ask for that to be looked at. Go Liverpool, go-uppertwine! Goed. Go go. Go to go. Go to go. Go. Go. Go! Go. Go. Go, will you. Go. Go, go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go do. Go. Go. Go, go. Go, go.
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