Written answers

Friday, 16 September 2016

Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Household Means Policy

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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632. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will assess the position of a person (details supplied) and respond to their query on the Household Means Support Policy Regulations 17 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations, 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25895/16]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Household Means Policy was issued in March 2011 under Regulation 17 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 and defines income for the purposes of determining an applicant’s compliance with the income eligibility criterion for social housing support and applies in all housing authorities. It is a matter for individual authorities to assess a household’s income for social housing support eligibility in accordance with the Policy, and in assessing a household’s income, authorities have discretion to decide to disregard income that is once-off, temporary or short-term in nature and which is outside the regular pattern of a person’s annual income.

The Policy lists the sources of income that are assessable and non-assessable for determining a household’s compliance with the income eligibility criterion. There is no provision to take account of any payments that a household may be obliged to make out of its net income and I have no plans to amend the Policy in this regard.

My Department is issuing a response to the person concerned setting out the position in this case as outlined above.

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