Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if care leavers have been recognised as a priority cohort for social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40744/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The allocation of social housing support is a matter for housing authorities under their allocation schemes made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. An allocation scheme is required to specify, amongst other things, the order of priority for the allocation of dwellings to households and classes of households on the waiting list. The making of an allocation scheme is a reserved function of each housing authority and decisions on the awarding of priority to any particular cohort is a matter for each authority. An allocation scheme may also contain provisions for exceptional or emergency cases, allowing immediate housing outside of normal waiting list priorities, should circumstances warrant it. While it is understood that the number of care leavers involved would be low, it is considered that the existing Joint Working Protocol on Young People Leaving State Care agreed between housing authorities and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, together with the discretion available to housing authorities in operating their allocation schemes, provide the appropriate mechanisms to ensure that sufficient priority is afforded to young people leaving State care.