Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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563. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the 2018 review of income eligibility levels for social housing will be finalised and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28982/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority, in different bands according to the area, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy.

The income bands and the authority area assigned to each band were based on an assessment of the income needed to provide for a household's basic needs, plus a comparative analysis of the local rental cost of housing accommodation across the country. It is important to note that the limits introduced at that time also reflected a blanket increase of €5,000 introduced prior to the new system coming into operation, in order to broaden the base from which social housing tenants are drawn, both promoting sustainable communities and also providing a degree of future-proofing.

As part of the broader social housing reform agenda, a review of income eligibility for social housing supports has commenced. The Housing Agency is carrying out the detailed statistical work which will underpin this review on behalf of my Department.

I expect the results of the review to be available for publication in late Summer 2018.