Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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780. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress in the Rebuilding Ireland target of rolling or choice-based letting, CBL, in each local authority area; the local authorities that are using CBL; the local authorities that are in the process of installing the system and training staff in its use; and the timeframe for the completion of this work. [39411/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The allocation of social housing support is a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations. Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 requires all housing authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households qualified for social housing support and to households approved for a transfer, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the accommodation needs and requirements of the households.

The Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing & Homelessness contains a commitment to extend the use of choice-based letting (CBL) by local authorities as a method of allocating social housing support. This is in recognition of the benefits that a CBL system can deliver to social housing applicants, existing social housing tenants and to local authorities.

On 30th September 2016, the Social Housing Allocation (Amendment) Regulations 2016 were made, which required that all local authorities must, if they have not already done so, provide for CBL as a method of allocation in their housing allocation schemes by 31 December 2016.

Where a local authority, having included a provision on CBL in its allocation scheme, decides to operate a CBL scheme, it must implement it in accordance with Regulations 6-11 of the 2011 Regulations.  Decisions on which properties are to be included under a CBL scheme is a matter for individual authorities.

I understand that a majority of local authorities have now used CBL, as a way of allocating some of their social housing properties. Where it has been introduced, the feedback has been very positive both from the authorities themselves and the customers they serve.

To facilitate the wider operation of CBL my Department issued updated guidance to authorities in December 2016. My Department will continue to liaise with housing authorities with a view to ensuring that CBL is implemented, as widely as possible, across the country.