Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Adult children living with their parents can apply for and be deemed to qualify for social housing support, subject to meeting the eligibility and need criteria set down in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated social housing assessment regulations. Once qualified, such applicants are automatically placed on the relevant local authority waiting list. They do not need to move into the private rented sector to be placed on the list, so it is important to clarify that. Indeed, the summary of social housing assessments, which measures the number and composition of households on the waiting list, includes a category of applicants qualified for social housing but who remain living with their parents. The most recent summary, conducted in November 2021, is available on our Department's website. It shows 25% of households qualified for support are adult children living with their parents.

Local authorities consider an applicant's existing accommodation arrangements, including where they are living with their parents, when prioritising the allocation of a dwelling. Applicants living with their parents may be considered a lower priority compared with other applicants, such as those in homeless or other precarious accommodation. Such decisions are matters entirely for local authorities themselves in accordance with their respective statutory allocation schemes and their day-to-day management of the social housing system.

I will come back with the specifics on County Louth, but just to clarify, it is the case that adults living with their parents can be deemed to qualify for social housing support.

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