Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Many years ago, when local authorities had a smaller number of approved housing bodies providing housing and they had more discretion to take it outside the scheme of lettings, those AHB developments were often used for these more sensitive cases where discretion could be applied, although we are in a changed landscape compared with where we were ten years ago, when local authorities had that power. As for the discretion of housing officers, they have a greater understanding of the housing crisis than perhaps even anybody in this House and, therefore, they are also able to understand the uniqueness of such a case where there is domestic violence. Perhaps, within parameters and with necessary controls in place, something could be put in at a local authority level. Applicants could spend eight, nine or ten years on a waiting list and could be subjected to domestic violence in a relationship that had developed midway through that process. For them to lose all that time and then to find themselves starting all over again in a new area is hard enough but they should not be disadvantaged further in securing housing when they could build a new life for themselves with a home. Anything we can do will be welcome.

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