The Government must act on the recommendations of a cross-party report on homelessness and introduce an emergency no-fault eviction ban, according to Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne.
Deputy Hearne said:
“Today’s report from the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage offers important solutions for how the State should respond to homelessness.
“The committee has urged the Government to keep all options under review, including an emergency ban on no-fault evictions for a defined period. The report also recommends that the interests of children be made a key priority in homelessness prevention.
“Committee members have expressed deep concern at rising levels of homelessness, leading to calls for a package of emergency measures. The Minister for Housing must now act on the 14 important recommendations contained in this report.
“Regrettably, my proposal for a three-year no-fault eviction ban was opposed by Government members of the committee. However, it was agreed that the minister should keep all options under review, including an emergency ban on no-fault evictions.
“Minister Browne must now set out when he will introduce such a ban to stem the rising tide of homelessness. There were 22,402 households issued with a notice to quit in the last 12 months – the highest number of evictions since the Famine.
“Yet this Government refuses to take any emergency action to end homelessness, and instead makes the situation worse by allowing rents to rise and refusing to protect existing tenants from evictions.”
June 18, 2026