TÁNAISTE LEO VARADKAR has suggested a winter eviction ban could lead to higher homelessness levels after it ends, following calls from opposition parties to bring in a ban.

Several political parties have called for a ban on evictions this winter, including the Labour Party and People Before Profit, who will introduce an eviction ban bill next week.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said that the most “pressing issue” facing private renters this winter was the “fear of termination of tenancy”, telling the Dáil that there is a precedent for an eviction ban.

During Leaders’ Questions this afternoon, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that the Government are currently “weighing up” introducing a possible eviction ban over the winter months, saying that he is not ideologically opposed to the idea.

“In terms of an eviction ban or a no fault eviction ban over the winter periods, that’s something the government is weighing up at the moment,” said Varadkar

“I certainly have no ideological objection to that. We introduced it when I was Taoiseach as head of the last government, although that was during the Covid crisis and there were restrictions on movement and the circumstances were different.”

However, Varadkar said that the Government needed to weigh up both the pros and cons of the policy, saying that while less people may lose homes this winter, it could lead to increased homelessness levels after the ban is lifted.

“The obvious advantage is fewer people losing their homes over the winter period,” said Varadkar.

The obvious disadvantage is that when it ends, you may see a glut of homelessness occurring at that time, which is harder to deal with and indeed it may accelerate the number of landlords leaving the sector and might result in a higher level of homelessness next year.

“Nobody wants to do anything about helps a problem get a bit better for a few months, only to make it much worse in a year’s time.”

Rising homelessness

The calls for an eviction ban comes as the number of people accessing emergency accommodation hit record levels at the end of August.

The most recent figures from the Department of Housing show that there were 10,805 people accessing emergency accommodation in the last week of August, which surpassed the previous record of July 2022.

August was the eighth consecutive month where homeless levels rose in Ireland.