Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English. I have raised on many occasions the serious issue of the local authority threshold being too low to allow people to access the housing list. Carlow has one of the lowest thresholds in Ireland. Over 1,000 people are on the housing waiting list in the county. They have met the criteria, including the €27,500 threshold to be eligible to go on the Carlow County Council housing list. Many people are living at home in cramped conditions. They have nowhere to go because they do not qualify for social housing or a mortgage. They do not earn the right amount to satisfy either set of criteria. Eight years have passed since the last review. I understand that a new assessment was due to be made last summer. There is an urgent need to finalise this review and to increase the income eligibility limits for social housing in Carlow and - most likely - in other counties. I assure the House that there are no millionaires out there looking for help. I am talking about people in real families who work hard but are not getting a break. I have been told that the review was due to have been completed already. I am still waiting. People around the country are waiting. I want to know what is happening with the review.

Today is far different from eight years ago because we are in a housing crisis. I would like to know whether the qualifying thresholds are realistic. I do not believe the threshold in Carlow is right. We are unwittingly excluding genuine people who should qualify for social housing. It is unacceptable that people who are trying to work and make ends meet are being told that they do not qualify for the housing waiting list. I was recently contacted by a family that was looking for help. As the family's weekly earnings of between €350 and €400 are over the income threshold, it does not qualify for registration on Carlow County Council's housing waiting list. I am worried because I am being contacted by families that are getting family income supplement but are not qualifying for registration on the housing list because €27,500 is too low. I would say it is the lowest threshold in the country. The other problem is that there is no appeals mechanism. It does not matter if one exceeds the €27,500 threshold by €10 or €20 - there is no appeal and one cannot go on the housing list.

I have consistently raised this issue and I have been told it is being looked at. People in Carlow who are in the low-cap zone are caught in limbo because they do not qualify under the social housing income threshold and they do not earn enough to take out a mortgage. I am sure there are people in other counties in the same position. We are meeting people who do not qualify for mortgages or the housing list. They are in limbo. This is a huge issue. I consider this to be another form of homelessness. These people are receiving no support. I need answers. Given that we are in a crisis, it is extraordinary that the Government is not allowing families that are under intense financial pressure to access rent allowance or housing assistance payment. We are condemning people to being unable to avail of social housing.At the same time, those people have no chance of getting a mortgage to buy their own home. Will the Minister of State clarify whether the review has been done and if it is ready? What will be the increase in the threshold for Carlow County Council? In the past eight months, this has been the biggest issue I have been trying to address with regard to the housing crisis. As I do not have any answers, I tell people the review was to be done in the summer but there is still no answer. The threshold in Waterford is €35,000, in Kilkenny it is between €32,000 and €33,000 and it is even higher in Kildare. In Carlow, however, it is €27,500. It is not possible for people to qualify for the local authority housing list.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Murnane O'Connor for tabling this Commencement matter. The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, is unfortunately not available to attend today and has asked me to take this matter on his behalf.

Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The 2011 regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority in different bands according to the area concerned, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard household means policy. Under the household means policy, which applies in all local authorities, net income for social housing assessment is defined as gross household income less income tax, PRSI and the universal social charge. The policy provides for a range of income disregards and local authorities also have discretion to decide to disregard income that is temporary, short-term or once-off in nature. I emphasise there is discretion at local authority level to make that call.

The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs and a comparative analysis of the local rental cost of housing accommodation across the country. It is important to note that the limits introduced at that time also reflected a blanket increase of €5,000 introduced prior to the new system coming into operation. This was done to broaden the base from which social housing tenants are drawn, both promoting sustainable communities and also providing a degree of future-proofing.

Given the cost to the State of providing social housing, it is considered prudent and fair to direct resources to those most in need of social housing support. The current income eligibility requirements generally achieve this, providing for a fair and equitable system of identifying those households facing the greatest challenge in meeting their accommodation needs from their own resources. However, as part of the broader social housing reform agenda, a review of income eligibility for social housing supports in each local authority area is under way, as the Senator noted. It has been under way for some time and we had hoped it would be completed earlier this year. The review will not be fully completed until the impacts of parallel initiatives in terms of affordability have been considered as these will inform where the thresholds should lie. These parallel initiatives include, for example, the €200 million local infrastructure housing activation fund and the €310 million serviced site fund, which will deliver more affordable homes. It is open to all local authorities to put forward plans to access those funds. In addition, new agencies like the Land Development Agency and other key affordability initiatives such as the advancement of a national cost rental policy, together with the Rebuilding Ireland home loan and the help-to-buy scheme, will be factored in to ensure that supports are targeted where they are needed.

I emphasise that we are aware that a review of the thresholds was needed and we made a commitment to such a review in A Programme for a Partnership Government. The review is under way and one part of the work is complete but we have to complete the other parts as well. The Minister is hopeful that he will be able to bring forward a new social housing package in the weeks ahead, which will also deal with income limits. There is some discretion available locally if part of an applicant's income is temporary. The Senator gave an example of a family on €300 or €400 per week. A family with such an income would qualify under the scheme. The Senator may wish to highlight other cases but the family to which she referred would qualify.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail)
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I am disappointed that this review has not been completed. We are eight years on and we are in a housing crisis. Will the review be complete by the end of the year? It is crucial that we have it as soon as possible. We must not go in to 2020 with the review unfinished. I will persist in raising this issue and asking questions in the House.

On the appeal mechanism, someone who has been out of work for a while may have his or case reviewed but someone working part-time who has an income that is €10 higher than the €27,500 threshold cannot appeal. The decision will not change. I have received several letters stating that there is no appeal mechanism available to someone on an income of €27,500. If someone is out of work or sick, the position may change for a short time but in 99% of cases, there is no review or appeal available. I ask the Minister of State to have this matter examined in the review when it sets new thresholds for local authorities.We are definitely the lowest in the country and it is just not right. It is unfair on people who cannot go on a local authority housing list to get housing assistance payment, HAP, and who do not qualify for a mortgage. Perhaps the Minister of State will come back to me. I will stay in contact with him and I ask that this review be published by the end of 2019.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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We hope to bring forward a package of reform and change for qualification for social housing and issues around that in the months ahead. We hope to publish it before the end of the year, but if not, then early in the new year. To be clear, I will make sure that Carlow is looked at, as well as other band 3 regions like Monaghan. Some difficulties have been brought to my attention. We have met the local authorities in most of those counties to examine how we can make sure all of the rules have been applied properly and to consider every option to give people the best chance. We will continue to do that across all Departments. To be clear, the Senator gave an example of a family in receipt of €350 per week. That family would qualify for social housing. A family in receipt of less than €400 would qualify.