Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I can tell that she has a very personal interest in this, and that speaks to the person she is. I thank her for tabling the matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for housing.

The response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a cross-departmental and multi-agency issue, with overall policy co-ordinated by the Department of Justice. Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims rests with my colleague the Minister for Justice, working in conjunction with Cuan, the statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency under the remit of the Department of Justice.

As regards the waiting list for social housing, it is not possible for a household previously on one social housing waiting list to carry the time spent on that list when applying to another local authority. However, local authorities may provide for exceptional or emergency cases to qualified households, allowing immediate housing outside of normal waiting list priorities, including cases of domestic violence. They may also reserve a certain proportion of dwellings for, among other things, allocation to particular categories of households, particular forms of tenure, and households transferring from other forms of social housing support.

Decisions on the allocation of social housing support are a matter solely for the local authority concerned. I know the Deputy knows that. In fairness, she has made that very clear and she is just looking for a little understanding in highlighting the case here. I have to outline the rules and she knows them. I think we both agree that a methodology needs to be found here to assist in an exceptional case like this. Each application must be considered on its own merits and the individual circumstances taken into account. Local authorities will prioritise allocations to those households they consider to be most in need, which can include victims of domestic violence.

In June 2022, the Department of Justice published Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual & Gender-Based Violence 2022-2026, which is a cross-departmental and multi-agency plan with overall policy co-ordinated by the Department of Justice. As an action in this strategy, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage committed to a review of the 2017 policy and procedural guidance for housing authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs in order to ensure continuing effectiveness and consistency in responses to assist victims of domestic violence. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is engaging with Cuan, the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency, on this review and proposed recommendations arising from the review.

I will forward the Deputy's comments to the Minister. It might be worth her while feeding into that strategy as well as a direct response. However, it is clear from the response I have given that there is flexibility in the local authority. Nobody has the capacity to direct from central government a local authority to do anything other than what the guidelines say, but there is flexibility there. I will talk to the Minister and if any kind of enhanced case can be made to assist the Deputy, it is something we can talk about at a later time.

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