Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 19 May 2016

Committee on Housing and Homelessness

Irish Refugee Council

10:30 am

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have two points arising from Deputy Brassil's contribution. One of the problems, for example, is that there is a requirement when a person from outside Ireland is applying for social housing to provide documentation to prove they do not own property in another country. Obviously if that person has fled a country due to war or whatever, providing that documentation is almost impossible. Some local authorities will accept an affidavit, but an affidavit can cost between €20 and €50 and if someone is only getting €19.50 a week, that is a huge barrier. That is just one small thing.

The second issue, which the witnesses might comment on, is that all the local authorities provide exactly the same advice and information service to anybody who goes in, but not everybody who goes in has the same ability to understand that advice and information. If one has grown up here, one understands what Revenue is and what a PPS number is, whereas if one has been trapped in direct provision for eight years and is now "out" officially, understanding all of that takes far more than the standard information and advice that good quality local authority clerks will provide. Do the witnesses feel there is a need for advocacy organisations to provide that additional support? Do they think it should be provided within the existing statutory agencies or do they have a preference?

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