Written answers

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Social and Affordable Housing

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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118. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his Department's current guidelines with respect to (details supplied); his plans to make any changes to these; if so, the rationale for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8977/17]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme made under Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011. While the development and implementation of an allocation scheme is a matter for the housing authority concerned, being a reserved function of the elected members, Section 22(17) of the 2009 Act provides that the Minister may issue directions to a housing authority regarding the operation of an allocation scheme and the housing authority shall comply with any such direction in operating the scheme. In this regard, a Ministerial Direction was put in place in January 2015 which required the Dublin Region housing authorities to allocate at least 50% of tenancies under their control to homeless and other vulnerable households. 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 during 2016 local authorities nationally achieved in the region of 2,700 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies; this is a record level of exits, with the comparable figure for 2015 having been 2,300.

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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