Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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288. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of persons, by county, who have been taken off the social housing lists as a result of failure to return forms during the recent housing needs assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34817/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In line with a commitment given in the Social Housing Strategy 2020, summaries of social housing assessments will now be undertaken on an annual basis, starting this year. Work on the 2016 summary is well advanced and I expect it to be finalised shortly. Data on the numbers failing to return assessment forms during the 2016 process will be compiled and included in the Summary findings.

The summary process requires all housing authorities to review those households who are on their housing list but who are not currently in receipt of housing support. This is to ensure that the details of the applicant households are up to date and accurate and that they remain eligible for, and in need of, social housing support in accordance with the criteria set down in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations. As part of this assessment, all local authorities wrote to relevant households over the past number of months, including those in transitional and shared or emergency accommodation if relevant, informing them of the assessment process and seeking updated information where necessary.

In the event of an initial non-response by a household, guidance issued by the Housing Agency advised housing authorities to contact the household again and to use all reasonable means of communication available to them in contacting the applicant. Authorities were also advised to undertake local advertising campaigns informing households about the Summary. Where a number of attempts to contact a household failed to elicit a response, authorities were advised that the household’s application may be closed. However, housing authorities were also advised that should the household subsequently respond with the information required within a reasonable time, the application could be re-activated.