Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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392. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason a person (details supplied) on disability allowance who has already been means tested to qualify for that benefit has to provide further proof of means from another country to apply for social housing in County Cork. [39394/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The primary purpose of social housing support is to ensure that persons and families who do not have sufficient resources to provide accommodation themselves are provided with adequate housing for their needs. The inclusion of a household by a housing authority on its list of qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned under the provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 2009, the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 and having regard to the particular circumstances of each case. I am precluded from becoming involved in individual cases.

Regulation 22 of the 2011 Regulations provides that an applicant household for social housing support is ineligible for social housing support if a household member owns alternative accommodation that could meet their needs, either through occupation or through the proceeds of selling that accommodation. Part 11 of the prescribed social housing application form therefore asks for information on applicants’ property ownership either in the State or abroad.

In seeking to determine the eligibility for social housing support the housing authority may seek additional documentation from applicants. It is a matter for the local authority to determine what is required in individual cases. The Department would expect that any such requests by a local authority would be appropriate having regard to the particular circumstances of the applicant.