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

The Deputy raised the very important point of people who find themselves in difficult situations, whether it is a home being repossessed, marital breakdown or another issue, which can impact on their ability to sustain housing and find affordable housing. The Government is responding to this through Housing for All, the fresh start principles, the local authority home loan scheme and the Croí Cónaithe grants, which are very useful in enabling people to find properties and renovate them for accommodation.

The Deputy raised the issue of people who are not eligible to apply for a local authority house because their incomes are too high. The Government has delivered 4,200 affordable purchase homes, including in County Kildare, and the delivery of those will continue apace. Cost-rental housing is another option for people who find themselves in that circumstance.

The Deputy also raised issues facing older people who may wish to downsize. The opportunity is there and should be there for people who may wish to live in a smaller home and sell their home on to a family. In my constituency, I find that many older people wish to do that. As the market continues to grow, with different housing tenure types and the development of housing, the opportunity to do that is thankfully starting to prevail.

People who are removed from the local authority housing waiting list have the opportunity to appeal that decision. The Department carries out an annual review of that list. It is important that there is an appeals mechanism in place for people who find themselves in those circumstances.

In summary, there are many different opportunities for people, particularly those who find themselves in such difficult circumstances. That is what the Housing for All plan tries to reflect.

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