Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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242. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason a person on a social housing waiting list for five or six years, who moves a few miles to a different county to rent and apply for the HAP scheme, must reapply to go on the waiting list in the other county and go back to the bottom of the list; and if he will consider changing this policy (details supplied). [6965/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 set down a standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing support. A household may apply for support to one housing authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it has a local connection, or the authority that agrees, at its discretion, to assess the household for support. In determining whether a household has a local connection with its area, a housing authority must have regard to whether a household member:

- lived in the area for a continuous 5 year period at any time in the past,

- is employed in the area or within 15 km of the area,

- is in full-time education, or attending specialist medical care in the area, or

- has a relative (defined in the Regulations) living in the area for 2 years or longer.

The flexibility of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme as a form of social housing support is one of the scheme’s key elements and an important benefit envisaged for many households with a housing need. The movement of households, within a local authority area, for the purposes of employment, further education or other reasonable reasons is facilitated for households under the scheme, while retaining HAP support. The phased implementation of the HAP pilot scheme has afforded my Department an opportunity for learning and it is in this context that the need for greater ease in the provision of flexibility of movement of HAP households between local authority areas has been identified. The movement of HAP supported households between neighbouring local authority areas has been facilitated to date in a small number of cases.

This matter is under consideration and the options to facilitate such movements, while remaining cognisant of the Ministerial Direction in relation to transfers to other forms of social housing, are being explored within my Department with input from all local authorities.

My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review. In general, I am satisfied with how the HAP scheme is operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme under Rebuilding Ireland.