Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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442. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether his Department has issued guidance on assessing credit time for an applicant for social housing, who may have, in fleeing domestic violence, left one local authority for another area, and in so doing lost credit time built up within that local authority; and if he agrees that if this person is an applicant in the local authority they have moved to, the previous credit time may be taken into account. [24815/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Generally, is not possible for a household previously on one social housing waiting list to carry the time spent on that list when applying to another local authority. However, local authorities may provide for exceptional or emergency cases to qualified households, allowing immediate housing outside of normal waiting lists priorities, should circumstances require. They may also reserve a certain proportion of dwellings for, among other things, allocation to particular categories of households, particular forms of tenure, and households transferring from other forms of social housing support.

As an immediate and short term response, a local authority may provide short-term emergency housing to persons forced to leave their homes because of domestic violence, without having to assess their eligibility for social housing support.

The day-to-day operation of the social housing system, including the oversight and practical management of the lists of qualified households awaiting accommodation, is a matter solely for each local authority.

In 2017, my Department issued policy and procedural guidance to local authorities relating to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence.

My Department has committed to a review of the 2017 guidance, the first phase of which has been completed in conjunction with the CCMA. A number of recommendations have emerged that require further policy consideration across a number of difference areas. Any updates to the policy and guidance will be communicated to local authorities in due course.