Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the process for persons who face repossession of their home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27943/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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In order for a household to qualify for social housing support, a housing authority must carry out an assessment to establish whether the household meets specified eligibility requirements and has a housing need. One of the housing need criteria prescribed in the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 is that the household has a mortgage that is deemed to be unsustainable under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process. Qualification under this criterion is not dependent on the making of a possession order as my Department has advised housing authorities that, upon receipt of written confirmation from the lender that a household's mortgage has been deemed unsustainable, an authority may consider the household to have a housing need, even though the household may, at that time, remain the legal owners of the dwelling concerned.