asked the Minister for Local Government if he will indicate the facilities for housing offered to Irish citizens from Northern Ireland who, because of intimidation, are forced to come and live permanently in the Republic.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing of NI Citizens in Republic.
4.
The existing private and local authority housing facilities are available to such persons in the same way as they are to other persons in this part of the country.
The private housing facilities include State and supplementary grants, rates remission and house purchase loans. Local authority housing is provided directly by the local authority concerned.
Where residency requirements are included by the local authority in their approved statutory scheme of letting priorities and in their supplementary grant scheme they apply equally to all applicants. It is my policy to encourage housing authorities to modify these clauses progressively where they exist, and to work towards criteria based solely on housing needs. The Deputy will appreciate, however, that the decision whether to do so, and when, must be left to the authorities themselves. In allocating houses it is open to the authorities, where they are satisfied that such a step is warranted in a particular case, to operate the emergency housing clause which is included in most of the schemes of letting priorities.
The Deputy will appreciate also that it would be difficult for a housing authority to justify any general decision which would discriminate in favour of any class of applicant, on the basis of their origin.
Is the Minister aware that the housing authorities are not complying with these regulations? People from the North who want to live here because of intimidation in the North are being treated as foreigners, as not being citizens of Ireland, the Twenty-six Counties, call it what you may. This is discriminating against our own people.
I could give the Deputy, if it would help him, from my supplementary information, the following. Most approved schemes of letting priorities include a special waiver or clause in respect of emergency cases. Where applicants, including those from Northern Ireland, are experiencing genuine hardship by being left homeless through no fault of their own, housing authorities may at their own discretion apply the emergency rehousing clause in favour of such applicants. In other words, they have the power to do it.
Yes, I have no doubt about that. I would ask the Minister to ask his colleague to send a circular to housing authorities asking them to consider such cases as emergency cases.
I will convey that to the Minister.
Can the Minister tell me, on behalf of his colleague, would the fact that a person had to leave the Six-County area because of intimidation, be accepted automatically by a local authority as an indication of hardship?
I would interpret the supplementary information I gave Deputy O'Connell as meaning that it would be a decision for the local authority.
Would the Minister not consider that this problem has now reached a sufficient level on a national scale to warrant a specific circular from his Department to local authorities on the matter?
As I have indicated already to Deputy O'Connell, I shall bring the matter to the notice of the Minister for whom I am acting.
I am calling Question No. 5.
Is the Minister aware that in Dublin they are operating a four-year residency clause for those people from the North?
I will convey that to the Minister.