Vol. 542 No. 1
103 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the criteria for the acceptance of applicants for rehousing by local authorities; if these criteria have been altered; if not, if they are likely to be altered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23601/01]
Each local authority is required under section 11 of the Housing Act, 1988, to make a scheme of letting priorities to determine the order of priority to be afforded to applicants in the lettings of dwellings provided by the authority. The making or amendment of a scheme of letting priorities is a reserved function of the elected members of the authority and is subject to ministerial approval to ensure that an adopted scheme is in accordance with statutory requirements and that all categories of need specified in section 9(2) of the 1988 Act are covered by the scheme. The order of priority of different categories of persons to be set in a scheme of letting priorities and the other detailed contents of a scheme are entirely a matter for decision by the local authority.
Local authorities were advised, in guidelines issued by my Department subsequent to the passing of the 1988 Act, that it should be the aim of a scheme of letting priorities to promote equality of opportunity in getting access to local authority housing based on relative housing needs to ensure that a dwelling, if suitable, is let to the person in greatest need and to ensure that no category of needy persons is at a permanent disadvantage vis-à-vis other categories. These general criteria still apply and I have no proposals to alter them.
