Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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802. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the legal, statutory or circular basis for the application of the local connection condition to the assessment for accessing social housing support. [29575/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The 2011 Social Housing Regulations, as amended, contain the statutory basis under which local connection is determined. Under regulation 5, a household may apply for support to one housing authority only (the “housing authority of application”), 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. Regulation 6 sets out the criteria under which a local connection can be determined. It states that a housing authority must have regard to whether a household member:

- lived in the area for a continuous 5-year period at any time in the past,

- is employed in the area or within 15 km of the area,

- is in full-time education, or attending specialist medical care in the area, or

- has a relative (defined in the Regulations) living in the area for 2 years or longer.

Regulation 5 (c) does provide local authorities with the discretion to accept and assess an application for social housing support from a household that does not meet the residence or local connection criteria.