Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the total number of persons struck off the local authority housing list for whatever reason in 2016 in each local authority throughout the country; the number of such persons currently in emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9491/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Detailed data on the total number of households removed from all housing authority lists and the reasons for such removal, as part of the process for the Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) 2016, is not yet available. Once compiled, the data will be published on my Department’s website, www.housing.gov.ie. Under the SSHA 2016 process, all housing authorities were required to review those households who were on their housing list but were not then in receipt of housing support. This was 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 during 2016, including those in transitional and shared or emergency accommodation if relevant, informing them of the assessment process and seeking updated information where necessary.

Where a household responded and was found to no longer meet the qualification criteria for social housing support in light of their updated details, they were removed from the list.

In the event of an initial non-response by a household to a request for updated information, 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 it was not unreasonable to then close the household’s application. 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.