Written answers

Thursday, 9 February 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Homeless Persons Supports

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will reinstate the allocations policy for Dublin local authorities to designate at least 50% of their vacant housing stock to those with homeless priority on the social housing list, ahead of general applicants on the social housing list, for the next six months, (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6437/17]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In January 2015, a Ministerial Direction was put in place which required the Dublin Region housing authorities to allocate at least 50% of tenancies under their control to homeless and other vulnerable households, while the authorities in counties Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford were required to allocate at least 30%. The Direction was subsequently renewed on two occasions, with the last renewal expiring on 30 April 2016. At the time of the last renewal in February 2016, the Housing Agency was requested to conduct a review of the operation of the Direction and provide an impartial assessment.

The Agency recommended that the Direction should be allowed to lapse upon its expiry.

This Direction was only ever intended to operate for a short period of time to provide an immediate increase in the number of social housing tenancies being allocated to homeless households. In the normal course, local authorities and their elected members are best placed to determine the allocation of social housing for their own areas, in line with national policy.

Among the Agency’s findings was that the well-established allocation procedures of housing authorities are capable of responding to particular housing need without an on-going Ministerial Direction. This analysis is vindicated by the fact that, in the first 6 months of 2016, local authorities nationally assisted more than 1,350 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies, with almost half of these going into social housing tenancies. While final details are awaited, it is anticipated that housing authorities will have assisted 2,700 sustainable exits from homelessness during 2016, a record level of exits, with a comparable figure of 2,300 in 2015.

Taking account of the Housing Agency's report, my predecessor decided not to renew the Ministerial Direction after 30 April 2016 and I do not propose to revisit the issue. I am confident that the comprehensive range of actions and initiatives underway to increase housing supply generally, as set out in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness,will enable local authorities to prioritise appropriately the level of housing allocations to homeless households and other vulnerable groups achieved under the Direction.

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