Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together. As Deputy Naughten will know, Housing for All was published in September 2021. He is right that housing limits have not changed for ten or 11 years. As part of the broad suite of social housing reform, I committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing. The review, which examined the efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, has been completed.

I have recently approved implementation of some of its recommendations. The review has now been published and it is available on the Department's website. The recommendations contained in the review include the commissioning of work to scope and develop options for a revised or new social housing income eligibility model. This work will commence shortly. I want it done in a time-bound fashion. The work is being done by the Housing Agency, which I believe is in the best position to carry out that work. It has been tasked with commissioning it. It is expected, and I am insisting, that that work will conclude before the end of this year. Pending completion of the work, I have also approved changes to the social housing income eligibility bands in five local authority areas in counties Carlow, Clare, Galway, Laois and Westmeath, moving them from band 3 to band 2. Accordingly, the baseline income eligibility threshold for these areas will increase from €25,000 to €30,000. The change reflects the movement in rents in these areas in recent years and will ensure local authority areas with similar accommodation costs continue to be grouped together in their respective bands. These changes will come into effect from 1 October. I have to wait for the report to which I referred before considering any further income threshold levels for all counties. I do believe they need to be increased, but I will have to base whatever proposals I bring forward to get Government approval on the report that I receive and any potential impact that those changes will have.

We are doing this work while we are increasing substantially the social housing new-build stock that is out there. However, this is an important piece of work that has not been done. We have not had a proper review or change in income eligibility for over ten years. I have made those first changes in the five counties to which I have referred. I expect to receive the further work on this before the end of the year. I am insisting on that. I actually met with officials to discuss the matter yesterday. It is important for the many reasons outlined by the Deputy, including to ensure that the income limits are applicable to today's world, and to see how they fit in with our affordability thresholds as well. Thankfully, we are seeing a newer tenure coming through now, namely, affordable rental and affordable housing at scale. That in itself is important to how we see social housing fits in with the affordable housing measures that we are bringing forward, which are taking hold now and for which around €1.3 billion will be provided next year in new affordability measures. As I have said, I am insisting that the work is completed by the end of this year. As Minister, I believe that the limits do need to change and be reviewed. In the short term, and it is a short-term measure, I have changed the income eligibility threshold for those five counties.

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