The Government should consider reintroducing an emergency ban on no-fault evictions to help tackle homelessness, according to a new report by the Oireachtas Committee on Housing.
A moratorium on evictions was in place from the end of October 2022 until 1 April 2023, with the decision to drop the ban sparking political controversy and triggering a motion of no confidence in the government at the time.
However, TDs and Senators on the committee are urging Minister for Housing James Browne "to keep all options under review including an emergency ban on no-fault evictions for a defined period of time alongside any emergency package of measures in order to take the pressure off existing emergency homeless services".
Two TDs on the committee, Sinn Féin's Eoin Ó Broin and Social Democrats' Rory Hearne, believe the minister should go further again and implement a three-year ban on no-fault evictions in order to stop renters falling into homelessness. Both TDs are their parties' respective housing spokespeople.
The committee backs a recommendation from the Housing Commission for a referendum to be held on adding a right to housing to the constitution.
The committee also recommended greater safeguards to prevent child homelessness, including a minimum time in emergency accommodation and measuring the length of time being spent by individual children in emergency accommodation.
The measures should come as part of a new child homelessness strategy, the report recommends.
TDs and senators also believe there should be increased funding for vital homeless prevention schemes, including tenant-in-situ as well as a greater allocation of social homes for those exiting homelessness and a significant increase in funding for and delivery of social and genuinely affordable homes.
There is also a call for the Department of Housing to engage with the Department of Justice to ensure that people living in direct provision are engaged with as early as possible to ensure that they do not exit the accommodation into homelessness.
Speaking ahead of the report, committee chair and Fine Gael TD Micheál Carrigy said there was "deep concern at the rising levels of homelessness including single people, couples, families with children and pensioners" and that committee urges the Government to "introduce an emergency package of measures to reduce the number of people becoming homeless, assist people to exit homelessness more quickly and ensure the Government meets its targets of ending long term homelessness by 2030".
Mr Carrigy also said a review into the Housing Assistance Payment currently being conducted by the Housing Agency should be shared with the committee once it is complete
The report follows public meetings of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 16 December 2025.
It makes 14 recommendations in all.
Homelessness 'a human catastrophe', says Hearne
Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said the report was stating very clearly that the homelessness crisis is a disaster and the Government must take action.
He also said that it was significant that the report was made up of politicians from across both Government and Opposition.
"It is significant that committee members including government members are saying to the Minister for Housing that you have to look at all options including a ban on evictions.
"Committee members across the board are saying that this is a human catastrophe.
"Everyone who is going through homelessness is in trauma but the scale of evictions is really the big cause of homelessness.
"The Government is currently saying it is unwilling to do it.
"But what are they going to stand over, reaching 19,000 or 20,000 homeless?
"At some point they are going to do it."
Mr Hearne also referenced the recommendations on the tenant in situ scheme and putting in place prevention measures along with a focus on children.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing Eoin Ó Broin said the core of the report was a call for an emergency response in order to end long-term homelessness by 2030.
"Unless there is an emergency response, unless there is a focus on prevention and accelerated exits, this crisis is going to get worse."
He said the unanimity in the report indicated that the Minister for Housing must change the Government approach.
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