Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would appreciate it if the Minister of State addressed my point rather than just use a script. It is not going to be a complete solution by any manner or means but he can help if he can tell me that local authorities have discretion to take account of a change of circumstances in income, that they can take account of where the household income is at the point at which people are offered accommodation, the point where people are being assessed for an initial application or whether there is a review happening.

In general, we must be much more realistic and flexible with respect to the income thresholds. Credit time for housing is like money in the bank for people. If a person qualifies for eight out of nine years and for one year he or she does not, we should be looking for a freeze for that single year. It is not that a person would be getting offers if he or she exceeds it but that he or she keeps his or her credit time because a person could well return to it. A person could have one good year out of ten. However, that is an aside. We must be much more realistic and pragmatic and the income thresholds must be revised. What I really want to know from the Minister of State is whether local authorities can be realistic. Can they assess a person on the basis of his or her current income? The last 52 weeks matter and must be taken into account but have the authorities discretion where a person's circumstances have changed significantly? I know there is a PUP disregard but far wider changes to circumstances are possible. These could include overtime that disappears, redundancy, changes in hours and all of these kinds of things which used to be taken into account. This is now denying houses to people in my constituency and in many others too.

This circular probably needs to be revised but the Minister of State can help in the meantime. He could tell me local authorities can have flexibility to decide a change in income circumstances is to be taken into account.

See this speech in context