Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)

I want to raise the income criteria relating to people being accepted for the social housing list. At the moment, in Cavan and seven other counties, someone can earn €30,000 as a single person, with marginal increases for another adult or for children in the household. It is €35,000 in 12 other counties and €40,000 in our cities and in areas within the commuter belt. What is happening is that people are applying for social housing and they are accepted onto the list, but it is refused the following year or a year later. The next thing, they are told they no longer qualify for social housing because their income has gone above the threshold. They are distraught because while they might be renting somewhere they can afford at the moment, if they are evicted or get a notice of eviction, they are not going to get anywhere to rent that is affordable for them going forward into a new tenancy. The average new tenancy rental rate in Cavan is now over €1,100. Yesterday, a person told me it was €1,400 for a one-bedroom apartment that she was looking at for herself and her two children. It is not even sufficient for her needs, but that is all she was going to be able to afford.

Frequently, the increase is due to somebody who is working in a low-paid or part-time job, and also getting the working family payment. The latter pushes them over the threshold, but they need that payment to meet the cost of living. I have previously pointed to an unfair aspect of the working family payment. If someone is applying for a mortgage, it is not taken into account as income for that mortgage. They are being penalised both ways. It is pushing them over the threshold for social housing, but penalising them when it comes to being accepted for a mortgage.

I know it is not that long since those rates were reviewed. In view of increases in rents, however, they need to be reviewed again. We should contact the Minister for housing to ask if he will look at the rates again to bring them level across the country, or at least for the areas outside the cities.