Officals knew quit notices in pipeline

HOUSING Minister Darragh O’Brien’s officials knew about the tsunami of eviction notices coming down the tracks weeks before the Government decided to lift the evictions ban, it has emerged.

- FERGHAL BLANEY and LOUISE BURNE

A major political row has erupted after it was revealed the Department was aware 9,000 official NoTs (Notices to Quit) had been issued in the second half of 2022, though the minister insists he was not.

Sinn Fein’s housing spokesman Eoin O Broin said that he found it hard to believe ministers didn’t have the figures if their officials had them.

And Labour’s Ivana Bacik said that if the figures had been made available before the Dail vote on the ban it would have made a big difference.

Mr O’Brien has insisted he was never informed of the figures by his officials, who knew about the numbers for Q3 and Q4 in January and February.