Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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1740. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide a progress report on the recommendations made in the Joint Oireachtas Committee Report on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, 2024, to create a statutory appeal structure to allow for appeals and reviews of housing decisions made by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44427/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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In January 2024, Government approved the priority legal drafting of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 which includes, inter alia, provisions to amend Section 20 of the 2009 Act to provide for legal and habitual residence as an eligibility criterion for social housing support.

The pre-legislative scrutiny report contained a recommendation that an independent appeals mechanism should be included in the legislation. Currently, there is no statutory provision for the appeal of decisions taken concerning social housing assessments. Local authorities have long established internal complaints and decision review systems, which may be used to appeal cases. Such arrangements are a matter for the local authority concerned.

Providing a statutory appeals process for local authority decisions under Section 20 of the 2009 Act, as amended, relating to the assessment for social housing support would be a positive step forward in embedding greater transparency and consistency in decision making at a local authority level. The Government recently agreed that my Department will continue to work with the Office of the Attorney General to develop detailed proposals and will revert to Government with further more advanced legal drafting to be included in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill after the summer recess.