Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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112. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of any analysis carried out by his Department into the operation of the choice-based letting system; what measures are in place to assist older persons and persons with disabilities in accessing the system, particularly in local authority areas in which the online choice based system is used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11938/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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While the management and operation of Choice Based Letting (CBL), including measures in place to assist older persons and persons with disabilities access online CBL systems, is a matter for the local authorities, in line with the commitment in Housing for All (September 2021) and the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022), my Department monitors and promotes the roll-out of CBL.

To this end, five annual surveys have been undertaken since 2017 to assess the progress of roll-out, the most recent in September 2022.

Currently, more than half of local authorities operate CBL. Of these, 14 implement an online system, namely Clare, Cork City, Cork County, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway City, Galway County, Kildare, Leitirm, Louth, Meath, South Dublin, Tipperary and Waterford.

While several local authorities offer paper-based systems, others offer both paper-based and online services. Generally local authorities are helpful in assisting applicants apply for their services, including through paper-based and online CBL systems, and anyone having difficulties in this regard should contact their local authority.

Given the benefits offered by CBL, including fewer refusals and greater choice for qualified households, my Department will continue to liaise with the local authorities to support as wide a roll-out of CBL as possible across the country and to explore the feasibility of a national online CBL system.