Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Yesterday, the Taoiseach revealed to me in this House that the Government will make a decision on whether to extend the eviction moratorium in the next two to three weeks. The current moratorium will end on 31 March. By the Taoiseach's own account, the Government is giving itself until 15 March to make a decision. However, people across the country have already been given notices to quit and many families are counting down the days until they will be without a home. Does the Taoiseach think it is fair to leave those renters in limbo?

It is important to say that the eviction ban was only ever as useful as the actions taken while it has been in place. Despite all the backslapping by Government Deputies and Ministers and the endless spin, the Government has not used that time well. It should have been a productive breathing space to provide additional accommodation for people. While some building targets may have been met, the Government's advice indicates that it has set them far too low. It has introduced the tenant in situ scheme, which we welcomed, but it is applied inconsistently.

There are particularly low conversion rates in Dublin, where the crisis is worst. Much was said by the Government about taking action on vacant and derelict homes, and this is again welcome, but Dublin City Council has taken ownership of just 25 derelict properties in the past five years. This is a shamefully low figure.

The Taoiseach states that he understands the scale of the crisis, but yesterday's mini-budget did not contain a single housing support for renters or homeowners. When will we see real emergency measures adopted by the Government to tackle the housing crisis? Will the Taoiseach please announce today the extension of the eviction ban because timing is crucial. It is crucial for families. We are halfway through the school term. We are just a few short weeks away from the leaving and junior certificate examinations and third level assessments. We are also seeing a spate of job losses. Today's announcement by Google, in my constituency, is just the latest.

The Government is taking its time, however. It seems to have made a decision that there is no rush on this and is taking its time in consulting the Attorney General. It also seems to be assuming that families in rented accommodation do not require certainty now, but they do. The official figure for the number of people who are homeless stands at 11,632. That includes 3,442 children. We know people leaving the private rented sector represent a sizeable cohort of those now entering homelessness. It is unconscionable, therefore, to delay the decision any longer.

Last Wednesday, 15 February, Government Deputies voted down a Labour Party motion that would have extended the eviction ban on a temporary basis through to the end of this year. This would have given the Government a longer breathing space to deliver the necessary homes. Tonight, we are telling the Government that it has a second chance in this regard. There will be another opportunity for us all to vote to extend the eviction ban. I am asking the Taoiseach if, at the eleventh hour, he will right the wrong and vote to give certainty to people facing homelessness in a matter of weeks, namely, at the end of next month.

Hear, hear.

Once again, yesterday's announcement was not a mini-budget. It did not involve any increases in weekly payments, income tax cuts or increases, as would happen in any budget, in spending for Departments. What was announced is a targeted package to help families struggling with the cost of living, pensioners and people on social welfare payments and small businesses in particular. It is clear that it was not a mini-budget. This is evident from the way in which it is targeted and from the fact that it does not relate to either all areas of society or all Departments.

Regarding the issue raised by the Deputy, we will make a decision on the matter as to whether we will extend the partial eviction ban. We will do so within two to three weeks - long before the ban expires. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Attorney General are working on this matter now.

Whatever we decide to do, it is important that we get it right. There are pros and cons to any decision we might make. Certainly, when this measure was reintroduced late last year, we had hoped that it would have the same effect as it had during the pandemic and that we would see the number of people in emergency accommodation fall. That has not happened and people are still becoming homeless for many different reasons, including family breakdown and other issues as well. In the context of the pros that we have to consider, there is the obvious benefit that if we extend the ban it might reduce the number of people losing their homes. This is important. It is a really big factor that we need to take account of. It weighs on our minds very heavily. We must also consider that this ban is creating a new form of homelessness. I refer to people who cannot move into houses and apartments which they own, including, for example, people coming back from Dubai, Australia and England and who find they are unable to move back into their own homes. We also have the matter of people, for example, who might have bought apartments in Dublin or Cork for when their daughters or sons go to college and who now cannot move them into the properties they bought. This matters too. These are people too and we need to take this into account.

It is not the same thing.

It can be amended slightly for that.

These are not the same circumstances at all.

We also need to take into account the issue-----

I ask Deputies to stop interrupting the Taoiseach. I call Deputy Bacik.

We can disagree about the name of the package of measures the Government announced yesterday. However, I would like us to at least be able to agree that those in rental accommodation should be given some clarity about when the announcement will be made regarding whether the eviction ban will be extended. Will it happen before the St. Patrick's Day recess, for example? People deserve to know this.

This is not just a call coming from the Opposition. We saw The Business Post reporting warnings from Grant Thornton that the housing crisis risks economic growth. IBEC has been saying the same thing for years. The assertion that internal targets are too low is coming from within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. There is no left-wing conspiracy here. The housing horrors are real. To borrow a phrase, the call to extend the eviction ban is coming from inside the house and it must be listened to. Tá sé thar am don Taoiseach, cosc a chur ar díshealbhú. Tá sé ag teastáil anois. As they say, “Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin". We need to see urgent action by the Government on housing for all the families and households currently facing this cliff edge of an eviction notice that will take effect after the end of March.

I agree with the Deputy on the matter of certainty. The Government is considering this matter. We will make a decision and announce it before the St. Patrick's Day recess. The Deputy has my assurance in that regard. Déanfaidh an Rialtas cinneadh roimh bhriseadh Lá Fhéile Phádraig.