Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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154. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether the local connection rule applies to people fleeing domestic violence seeking social housing support. [30456/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The qualification criteria for social housing support are set down in Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.

A household may apply for social housing support to one local authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it has a local connection, or where the authority agrees, at its discretion, to assess the household for support.

Therefore, in accordance with the Regulations there is discretion for a local authority to accept applications from any household, including people fleeing domestic violence, that is not resident in its functional area without having established a local connection with the authority’s functional area. Accepting such an application is entirely a matter for the individual authority concerned.