Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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745. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the review of income eligibility limits for social housing will be finalised and published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32147/18]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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746. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to improve the income eligibility limits for social housing in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32148/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 745 and 746 together.

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 later in the summer.