Ms Kathleen Holohan:

Senator Boyhan asked about common methodology. The process has been set out in the assessment regulations. Local authorities process applications in accordance with both the regulations and the legislation.

Part of the point that we made in our submission concerned transparency and, in particular, general data protection regulation, GDPR, in terms of the responsibilities of local authorities, the rights of housing applicants and the potential responsibilities now being placed on public representatives due to what the regulations may require them to do.

In terms of the legislation and regulations, clearly there are certain circumstances in which people must be considered in terms of an overall priority situation, perhaps somebody living in a dangerous building. There is prioritisation. Some local authorities use a numbering system. Housing officials can say to somebody, and it has been their experience, that he or she is tenth on a list but something can happen for any number of reasons where that person is displaced due to an overall priority scenario. It is not that local authorities do not want to be transparent. We want to be transparent and we want to help people, as best we can, to understand where they are on the list.

Different systems have been employed over the years. For example, with the points system people could move up or down the list. Next there was a closed list and a points system, which meant people knew their place on a list for six months or a year. However, when the list was reviewed people often were moved further down the list. The work is challenging but the sector is keen to develop a standard process for use across the system. One is never going to get a 100% transparent system due to emergency circumstances. Housing officers try to balance the competing needs of the various people on their housing lists at all times. Such work is challenging at present due to the high number of homeless cases and the increasing number of medical cases presenting in different local authorities.

In terms of providing accommodation for people who are aged 55 or 60, some of the larger local authorities have specific accommodation for the elderly and might operate same on that basis. There is potential because last year's assessment of housing need showed 45% of applications were from single person households. We must decide whether we need to change the profile of our housing stock to meet that need. In many cases those single person households might be due to marriage or relationship breakdown. The applicants may have their children to stay for weekends or holidays, which poses a challenge in terms of saying that the people are only entitled to a one-bed unit yet they really need a two-bed unit. There are some very good examples of developments that are specifically for the elderly, which is something that local authorities will continue to do.

The placefinder service has not been rolled out in every local authority. My local authority is operating it and we have recently been sanctioned by the Department to recruit somebody specifically to do such work as their role.