Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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1149.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if local authority properties require occupational therapists to review properties before they are assigned to tenants with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33041/24]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The allocation of local authority dwellings, including the prioritisation of certain households, is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with their allocation schemes made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations.

A revised Social Housing Support Application Form was introduced with effect from 19 April 2021. The new form includes an additional form which an applicant who wants to apply for assessment for priority support based on medical need or disability must complete (HMD-Form 1). The new form is for anyone applying for social housing or a social housing transfer due to a disability or medical grounds. It provides for a variety and wider range of healthcare professionals to complete the form than previous iterations.

The new forms states that an occupational therapist report must be provided where there is a need for a specific accommodation requirement. The new form also provides for a variety and wider range of healthcare professionals to complete the form than previous iterations. This can include professionals involved with the person with a disability or medical condition, such as a consultant, general practitioner, mental health nurse, public health nurse, occupational therapist or social worker.

My Department issued National Guidelines for the Assessment and Allocation Process for Social Housing Provision for People with a Disability in 2017 to assist in streamlining the management of the housing assessment and allocation process for disabled people, including those living in the community and those transitioning to the community from residential care. These guidelines are intended to support housing authorities in carrying out assessments of housing need for disabled people within a planned and structured framework to ensure that their needs can be assessed as effectively as possible in a timely manner. These guidelines provide detail on the role played by occupational therapists in the assessment and allocation of Social Housing Support.

The Guidelines are available at the following link: