Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if there is a mechanism to transfer a housing application from one local authority to another without having to make a completely new application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6361/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Sections of the Housing (scellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009 dealing with social housing support, and related Social Housing Assessment Regulations, 2011, were commenced on 1 April 2011. These provisions introduced a new standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing in every housing authority.

One of the important provisions of the new regulations is that a household may only apply to one housing authority for the purpose of determining whether or not they have a housing need. The idea behind the new arrangements is to streamline the process of applying for social housing support, both for the applicant and the local authority, while at the same time allowing a reasonable level of choice to households as to the areas in which they would like to receive social housing support. There is no provision in the regulations allowing applications to be transferred to a different local authority without having to make a new application.

However, under the regulations, a household may apply to the housing authority for the functional area:

- where it normally resides – this would include a household residing in rented accommodation, or

- where it has a local connection.

A household may then specify up to three areas of choice in any housing authority in the county. At least one of these choices must be in the functional area of the housing authority of application. Therefore, a household living in, or having a local connection with, a town council area may make a single application to that town council for housing support in the town but on that application may also express its choice to live in areas within the wider administrative county council area. Alternatively, a household living in, or having a local connection with, the county area may choose to apply to the county council, but also express areas of choi ce within the town council boundaries in the county. Eligible households will appear on the waiting lists of each of the authorities where they have expressed areas of choice.