Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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129. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way he will ensure that all the people now eligible for social housing due to change in income limits will be put back on the list urgently so they will be eligible for allocations as a matter of urgency as many of these people have missed out on allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3649/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government recently agreed to increase the baseline social housing income eligibility thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023, with the thresholds increasing to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for Bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

Households deemed not to qualify upon assessment under the previous thresholds, but which would have qualified if the new thresholds had been in place, will permitted to retain time previously spent on the list. Accordingly, any application assessed and deemed ineligible between 18 November 2021 and 31 December 2022, and which would have met the new income thresholds, can be resubmitted. Any household removed from the local authority waiting list since 18 November 2021, but which now qualifies under the new thresholds, can retain the time already accrued on the list as well as any time that they would have accrued if they had remained on the waiting list.

I have instructed local authorities to write directly to affected applicants advising them of the revised arrangements, which will remain in place until 30 June 2023 and ensure households have sufficient time to resubmit their applications.