Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the engagement he has had with Cork County Council and Cork City Council to improve on the current timelines to complete all social housing and HAP applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3349/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.

Regulation 12 of the 2011 Regulations prescribes the timescales for the processing of applications by local authorities and provides that, subject to conditions, a local authority shall deal with an application within a period of 12 weeks. Local authorities will prioritise housing needs assessments for those in greatest need and ensure that such applications are dealt with within timeframes that are significantly shorter that the statutory maximum. Different timescales may apply where the local authority requires additional information from the applicant within the relevant period, as defined in the Regulations, thus leading to possible extensions to the 12 week deadline in terms of completing the application process.

If a household meets the eligibility and need criteria, it qualifies for the suite of social housing supports, including HAP, and is placed on the housing list to be considered for the allocation of suitable tenancies in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme.

Despite the challenges faced throughout the period of the Covid emergency measures, local authorities and the HAP Shared Service Centre (HAP SSC) have continued to provide a critical service to all HAP customers.

Measures that were required to be taken in the context of Covid-19 did, however, have an impact on processing times for HAP applications.

Once a HAP application has been received and confirmed as valid by the relevant local authority, it is entered on the system by the local authority and then submitted for processing and payment by the HAP SSC. If there are delays at the processing stage within a local authority, payment to the landlord may be backdated to the date on which a complete and valid application form was received by the local authority. The landlord is therefore not penalised for any delay.

My Department and the local authorities are aware of the importance of minimising HAP processing times and the critical need to keep this under review at a local level, in order to ensure times are minimised to the greatest extent possible. This has been communicated clearly to the County and City Management Association (CCMA), and my Department is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to do so over the coming months.