Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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85. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the measures he is taking to address the disparity where domestic violence occurs in a local authority tenancy and both adults are named on the tenancy meaning that one cannot access housing supports needed on exiting a refuge or leaving a violent relationship; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that such cases exist; the direction he is providing to local authorities to ensure that persons escaping violent relationships are given the appropriate housing supports despite already being named on a tenancy and while they are named on a tenancy pending a family court hearing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30181/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic abuse rests with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the delivery of such services is managed through the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.

A housing authority may provide short-term emergency housing to persons who are forced to leave their homes because of domestic violence, without having to assess their eligibility for social housing support or include them on the authority’s housing waiting list. Such support can be provided where victims of domestic violence meet the homeless definition set out in the Housing Act 1988, which is not prescriptive and in practice will generally include victims of domestic violence.

Where a social housing assessment is an appropriate longer-term response to enable that household to access social housing supports, the relevant housing authority may determine that household to be in need of social housing support where, in accordance with the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, the authority considers that the household’s current accommodation is unsuitable in terms of adequate housing provision, having regard to particular household circumstances or exceptional medical or compassionate grounds. This allows a housing authority to consider a victim of domestic violence as having a housing need and to be placed on a housing list, subject to the household meeting all other eligibility criteria.

Where a victim of domestic violence applies for social housing support in their own right while still a joint tenant, it is a matter for the relevant local authority to address the contractual issues arising in relation to the joint tenancy agreement. A housing authority may assist a victim of domestic violence to transfer out of their existing tenancy and enter into a new tenancy agreement.

Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing & Homelessness, which was published on 19 July 2016, commits to the development and publication of procedural guidance during 2016 for housing authorities with regard to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence in securing new independent tenancies.