Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State's departmental officials confirmed to the committee today that people in that situation will be off the housing list. She tried to cover over that by saying they can apply for a transfer but one can only apply to a local authority for a transfer if one is deemed to be in overcrowded accommodation or to have a medical priority. One cannot apply for a transfer because one wants to move from private rented accommodation to a council house. It is not even possible to apply for a transfer from one council house to another. That was done away with ten or 15 years ago. In reality, once a tenant is in a HAP scheme - he or she will not have any choice about it in the unlikely event that the council can come to an arrangement - his or her ten year wait on the list will be extinguished. The only basis on which he or she will be able to get a transfer is medical priority or overcrowded accommodation.

That is enormous and the consequences need to be monitored. I appeal to the Minister of State, even at this late stage, not to proceed with this provision. In the absence of rent control it is going to be an unmitigated disaster. The disaster has already been unfolding but it will accelerate over the coming weeks. It is not too late to stop this process but if she is not going to halt it at least she can commit to this review to allow us to monitor and assess the damage that will be done by this retrograde legislation.

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