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

Any fair analysis would show I have already made significant changes in the five counties I could address straight away. To Deputy Naughten's point, I am looking at what we can do with regard to discretion. I have received a number of good examples of cases where people were marginally over the limit because of a change in circumstances in the previous year and have since fallen back under the limit. Some local authorities are insisting that those people go back for a new application. I am happy to use this opportunity to say I am absolutely looking at that. I have been using examples of some of the cases that have been forwarded to me by Government and Opposition Deputies to work through what we can do by way of transitionary interim measures.

I am serious about making changes in this space but those changes must be made on the basis of proper research to ensure the levels we go up to are commensurate with the affordable housing piece. We must consider the best mechanism across the country, whether that is a banding system, a blanket system or something else. I am not delaying this. The Housing Agency, for which I have a lot of regard, has expertise in this area. It has been commissioned and is in charge of this piece of work. I have already said to my officials in the Department that I want this concluded by the end of the year. We are coming into October so I want completion within the next three months. That is the timeframe to which I want to work to bring measures and proposals to Government for approval. I know how important this is for people. The Government is increasing the social housing stock to levels not seen before, which is good. I meet new tenants all over the country who are getting a home for life. That is fantastic and shows that the social housing programme is working. We must get it up to a sustainable level. We must ensure that those people who have been waiting for a substantial time for those homes get them, and that our income limits, as Deputy Naughten rightly said, are applicable to today's world. That work is under way. I hope to have recommendations to make to the Government before the end of the year. I will move on it swiftly.

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