Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the options available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who cannot get on the housing list in the local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53657/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Paragraph (1) of Regulation 22 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations, 2011 provides that a household with alternative accommodation that would meet its housing need is ineligible for social housing support. Paragraph (2) of the Regulation effectively ensures that paragraph (1) does not operate to exclude from eligibility for social housing support an applicant who owns accommodation that is occupied by his or her spouse, from whom he or she is separated or divorced.

The Regulation allows that once there is a Deed of Separation in place this aspect of eligibility for social housing support can be determined. There is no need therefore to await judicial separation or divorce to get a decision on social housing support in these cases. I consider that this provision is reasonable in most cases.

I acknowledge, however, that situations may exceptionally arise that may not easily be dealt with under the current Regulations. My Department is keeping the social housing assessment provisions under on-going review and in this context will consider what wider discretion might be given to housing authorities to address the individually difficult and complex cases which may present to them.