Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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249. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the Government's new housing plan will be published. [54175/25]

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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250. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the plans to amend the status of a HAP tenant as having their housing needs met when they are in receipt of HAP. [54176/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Consistent with the provisions in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is considered to be a social housing support and consequently households in receipt of a payment under the HAP scheme are not eligible to remain on the main housing waiting list. However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, have expectations that they would receive a more traditional form of social housing support, Ministerial directions have issued to ensure that, should they so choose, HAP recipients can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support through a transfer list.

Furthermore, local authorities are also directed that HAP recipients who apply to go on the transfer list should get full credit for the time they spent on the waiting list and be placed on the transfer list with no less favourable terms than if they had remained on the waiting list.

The practical operation of transfer lists is a matter for each local authority to manage, on the basis of its own scheme of letting priorities. The making of such schemes is a reserved function of the local authority and as such is a matter for the elected members.

The Housing Commission has recommended the resetting of the HAP scheme as a short- to medium-term support for households eligible for social housing, with those households then remaining on the social housing waiting list. My Department is actively considering the recommendations of the Housing Commission including those that relate to the HAP scheme.