Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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356. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 512 of 25 February 2025, his views on whether it is consistent with the aims of the Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy, namely that whether on welfare, in employment or a combination of both, a person can be assured of a minimum basic income and a person in employment will always receive more than they would if reliant on welfare alone (details supplied), given that individuals can be rendered ineligible for social housing on the basis of employment or on the basis of hardship payments, and consequently see a substantial fall in disposable income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26730/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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359. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has considered that income limits for social housing eligibility act as a “welfare cliff” (details supplied) that disincentivise eligible individuals from taking up employment or applying for promotion. [26723/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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360. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for details of any engagements with his colleagues in the Department of Social Protection or the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment regarding the impact of social housing income limits on the behaviours of individuals who are on the housing list or preparing to apply for the list; if, in particular, the limits disincentivise taking up employment or applying for payments to which an individual may otherwise be entitled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26724/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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361. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline, given that social housing is a key part of the architecture of social protection in Ireland, his views on whether his Department’s approach to social housing income limits is consistent with the aims of the Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy; namely, that whether on welfare, in employment or a combination of both a person can be assured of a minimum basic income and that a person in employment will always receive more than they would if reliant on welfare alone (details supplied). [26725/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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362. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for details of any research, completed or ongoing, concerning the impact of social housing income limits on the behaviours of individuals who are on the housing list or preparing to apply for the list; whether, in particular, the limits disincentivise taking up employment or applying for payments to which an individual may otherwise be entitled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26726/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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363. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether legislation will be progressed indexing income limits for social housing eligibility to either inflation, the minimum wage, the median wage, average industrial wage, or lower quartile wage to reflect the decline in purchasing power over time of incomes that were previously considered to be too high for a person to be eligible. [26727/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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364. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware that there are income gaps in the available housing schemes operated by his Department and by local authorities whereby a person’s income may be too high for social housing eligibility and at the same time too low for any available cost rental options or to take advantage of schemes for first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26728/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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365. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider abolishing the income limits for social housing eligibility and fund a universally accessible social housing system through a scheme of differential rents. [26729/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 356, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364 and 365 together.

Housing for All includes a commitment to review income eligibility for social housing. From this review, completed in November 2021, it was recommended moving five local authorities from Band 3 to Band 2, ensuring the income eligibility thresholds better reflect housing costs in those counties. Government also agreed to increase the baseline income thresholds by €5,000 for all local authorities with effect from 1 January 2023. The thresholds thus increased to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

The review further recommended the commissioning of research to develop options for a revised or new social housing income eligibility model. My Department received this detailed research, commissioned by the Housing Agency. The scope of the research included examining the existing income limits in the context of current market and population conditions and the suitability or otherwise of the current framework having regard to the significantly changed landscape since the standardised income limits were introduced.

My Department is now undertaking a detailed examination of the report, in order to develop a new social housing income eligibility model in line with the Housing for All Action Plan update. This detailed examination includes an exploration of relevant reports, including the one referred to. It will also include consultation with stakeholders and will look at, inter alia, how the social housing income limits system interacts with other housing supports and ensure that they continue to target households correctly.

In relation to other schemes offered by my Department, as detailed under Housing for All, the Government plans to deliver 54,000 affordable homes, including 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes, by 2030. A comprehensive implementation strategy is in place to support the various affordable housing schemes now being delivered by a range of delivery partners. These measures are primarily aimed at supporting affordability constrained households with incomes too high to qualify for social housing.

The Housing for All plan introduced Cost Rental tenancies as a new form of long-term sustainable home rental targeted at middle-income households whose annual net household income does not exceed €66,000 in Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere. In line with the new Programme for Government commitment, the parameters for Cost Rental eligibility are kept under review. This is to ensure that the scheme effectively targets the intended tenant cohort, including single people, and areas with the greatest affordability constraints.

Other measures such as the Local Authority Home Loan, the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Scheme, the Help to Buy Incentive, First Home Scheme and the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant are also available to help make home ownership more affordable for more people.

The Programme for Government 2025 commits to several measures concerning the Local Authority Home Loan, one of which is to ensure that maximum loan values align with current house prices, thus keeping the scheme accessible. My Department has commenced work on reviewing the maximum income and property price limits to ensure the scheme remains accessible and relevant for aspiring homeowners. This review should be completed by the end of Quarter 2 of 2025.

Further information on affordable housing schemes can be found on the Affordable Homes website at the following link - affordablehomes.ie/