Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 813: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether gender balance criteria should be factored into local authorities' schemes of housing letting priorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22685/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities are required to make a scheme of letting priorities to determine the order of priority to be afforded to applicants in the lettings of dwellings provided by the authority. The order of priority of different categories of persons to be set in a scheme of letting priorities and the other detailed contents of a scheme are entirely a matter for decision by the local authority.

The guidelines issued by my Department to local authorities indicate that it should be the aim of a scheme of letting priorities to promote equality of opportunity in getting access to local authority housing based on relative housing needs to ensure that a dwelling, if suitable, is let to the person in greatest need and to ensure that no category of needy persons is at a permanent disadvantage vis-À-vis other categories. I have no proposals to issue further guidelines to local authorities on this issue.