Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Could the Minister give us an assurance that they will be reviewed without further delay? I recently brought a young couple to my local authority. The young man is an apprentice while his partner is, unfortunately, out of work and receiving a jobseeker's payment. The couple have a child. They are not eligible for a council house. We are talking about being prudent and fair. Is it prudent and fair that the council does not have discretion when it comes to this couple who are slightly above the income limit? I understand that. This is in an area like Cavan-Monaghan. Anybody who is fortunate enough to return to the labour force is being penalised. We need a mix of people in different social housing schemes. The Minister spoke about sustainable communities. We all want to see that but the income limits that are being applied make it impossible for many people on low incomes to qualify for local authority housing. We need to change that.

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