Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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420. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he intends to introduce any flexibility on the 12-month income rule for determining social housing support eligibility in cases where persons have lost their jobs but whose previous income still places them over the threshold. [55440/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I currently have no plans to amend the Household Means Policy and the requirement to assess household income eligibility on the previous 12 months net average income.

The income eligibility requirements reflect the long-term nature of social housing support.

However, my Department is monitoring the operation and implementation of the policy, which will be kept under review.

In the wider context, I am currently considering potential changes to the social housing income eligibility model.

In the meantime, I have approved proposals to scope and develop options for a new model. This work will commence shortly under the aegis of the Housing Agency who have been tasked with commissioning it and I expect that the work will complete by end Q4 2022.

I have also recently approved changes to the social housing income eligibility bands. Five local authorities - Carlow, Clare, Galway County, Laois and Westmeath - have moved from Band 3 to Band 2. Accordingly, the baseline income threshold for these areas has increased from €25,000 to €30,000. The change reflects the movement in rents in recent years in these areas and will ensure local authority areas with similar accommodation costs continue to be grouped together in the respective bands. The changes came into effect from 1 October 2022.