Vol. 450 No. 8
110 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for the Environment the guidelines, if any, he has issued to local authorities on the income ceiling as applied to local government housing applicants; his views on whether an upward sliding scale from the £12,000 base should be allowed for applicants for each child in the family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5784/95]
Housing authorities are not required to apply an income limit in determing eligibility for local authority housing. The application of an income limit and the manner of its operation are matters for housing authorities themselves but they must be satisfied that applicants are in need of housing and unable to provide it from their own resources. In relation to the latter, authorities have been advised that they should, in assessing applications, have regard to household income. Authorities have also been advised that the specification of a rigid income limit might unreasonably exclude from housing certain persons who, because of their overall circumstances, might not be in a position to provide adequate and suitable accommodation from their own resources. It has been stressed to housing authorities that they should bring to the attention of housing applicants all the options available under "A Plan for Social Housing", which may improve or speed up access to housing for the applicant.
