Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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235. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which he can liaise with the local authorities with a view to ensuring that local authority housing applicants that have been delisted from the local authority waiting lists on the basis of excessive income and at the same time refused a local authority housing loan due to lack of sufficient income, are accommodated by means other than private rental accommodation, the costs of which would currently absorb more than half that income; if he will examine the issue as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9495/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Assessing a household’s eligibility for social housing support is a matter for each local authority in accordance with the provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. I am aware of the difficulties experienced by some households in purchasing their own home where they are not eligible for social housing support on income grounds, and where they are consequently faced with sourcing accommodation in the private rented sector. The most effective way to reduce and stabilise rents in the long term is to increase supply and accelerate delivery of housing for the private and social rented sectors. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government’s Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, aims to increase and accelerate housing delivery across all tenures to help individuals and families meet their housing needs. It sets out over 80 actions that the Government is taking, through new policy, new legislation and innovative Budgetary measures, to achieve that aim.

Pillar 4 of the Action Plan committed to development of a comprehensive rental strategy and this was delivered, with the publication of the Strategy for the Rental Sectoron 13 December 2016. The Strategy identifies high and rapidly rising rents as the key driver of accommodation insecurity for tenants and a factor in the termination of tenancies. To address this situation, the Strategy introduced a Rent Predictability Measure to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where the imbalance between demand and supply of rental accommodation is driving rent levels upwards most acutely.

The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 gave effect to, and provided for the immediate implementation of, the Rent Predictability Measure. Areas of the country satisfying the statutory criteria will be designated as Rent Pressure Zones and rent increases in those areas are generally capped at 4% per annum for a period of three years. The measure was introduced with immediate effect in the four Dublin Local Authority areas and in Cork City. A further 12 Local Electoral Areas were designated as Rent Pressure Zones on 27 January 2017.

Details of the areas that met the criteria and have been designated as Rent Pressure Zones are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

www.housing.gov.ie/housing/private-rented-housing/coveney-designates-new-rent-pressure-zones.