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

It is clear that the guidelines and income limits we have at the moment are totally outdated. I was promised that a review would be completed and carried out and that income limits would be improved. This was back when the Ministers with responsibility for housing were Deputy Coveney and, subsequently, Deputy Eoghan Murphy and the relevant Minister of State was Deputy English.

I have cited cases in the House previously involving a one-parent family with the mother working in a part-time low-paid job and getting the family income supplement. Such a mother with two or three children is unable to get on the council housing list. That is wrong because that person has no chance of getting a loan. Even if she did get a loan, she could not sustain or service it.

There is a cohort of people who are working, oftentimes in low-paid jobs, unfortunately, in difficult circumstances. These are often from one-parent families and they are dependent on the family income supplement. By definition, their income is not sustainable from their employment. They are expected to house themselves without State assistance or without getting on the local authority list. This review needs to be finalised and we need a big improvement in the income limits. This needs to be addressed as early as possible. I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to make progress on this.

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