Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ellis for taking the questions for Deputy Ó Broin, who for whatever reason is unable to be here. That is fine.

In January 2015, a ministerial direction was put in place that required the Dublin region housing authorities to allocate at least 50% of tenancies under their control to homeless and other vulnerable households, with the authorities in counties Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford being required to allocate at least 30% to such households. The direction was subsequently renewed on two occasions, with the last renewal expiring on 30 April 2016. At the time of the last renewal in February 2016, the Housing Agency was requested to conduct a review of the operation of the direction and provide an impartial assessment. The agency recommended that the direction should be allowed to lapse upon its expiry date.

This direction was only ever intended to operate for a short period to provide an immediate increase in the number of social housing tenancies being allocated to homeless households. In the normal course, local authorities and their elected members are best placed to determine the allocation of social housing for their areas in line with national policy. Among the agency’s findings was that the well-established allocation procedures of housing authorities are capable of responding to particular housing need without an ongoing ministerial direction. This analysis is vindicated by the fact that in the first six months of this year, local authorities nationally have assisted more than 1,350 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies, with almost half of these going into social housing tenancies. By the end of this year, there will be more tenancies provided for people and families who have been homeless than in any year in the past. That this direction has lapsed does not mean we are not prioritising and getting better results for families that are homeless.

Taking account of the Housing Agency's report, my predecessor decided not to renew the direction after 30 April 2016. I do not propose to revisit the issue as I do not intend to renew the terms of this direction. I am confident the comprehensive range of actions and initiatives under way to increase housing supply generally, as set out in Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, will enable local authorities to maintain or exceed the level of housing allocations to homeless households and other vulnerable groups achieved under the ministerial direction. All the evidence suggests that is happening.

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