Social Democrats TD Cian O’Callaghan has expressed disappointment at the Government’s failure to provide a timeframe for the introduction of legislation to make demanding sex for rent a criminal offence.
Deputy O’Callaghan, who is the party’s spokesperson on housing, said:
“There was an expectation that outlawing sex for rent arrangements would be included in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023. However, work on the amendment was not completed in time to meet the bill’s deadline, meaning these new offences will now have to be progressed through other legislation.
“It is now more than two years since I introduced my Ban on Sex for Rent Bill 2022, which would have created an offence of requiring or accepting sex as a condition of accommodation.
“While the Government did not allow my bill to progress at the time, they instead undertook to bring forward their own legislation.
“However, despite a deepening of the housing crisis since then, they have failed to deal with the issue, leaving vulnerable renters, including international students and workers, open to sexual exploitation. In the meantime, new sex for rent advertisements continue to appear online.
“With a general election looming, it is increasingly unlikely that renters will get the protections they need during the lifetime of this Government.”
July 9, 2024