Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 May 2014
14. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will carry out a review of the procedures in place for the letting of local authority houses to ensure that local authorities are not prevented from overly onerous regulations and conditions from letting houses to tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19458/14]
View answerThe procedures for assessing the eligibility of households for social housing support and allocating that support were overhauled and updated in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated regulations and in guidance issued to housing authorities. As regards allocations policy, section 22 of the 2009 Act provides that the Minister’s approval is not required to a housing authority’s allocation scheme but the Minister may direct an authority to amend its scheme and the authority must comply with the direction. The Minister may also issue directions to a housing authority regarding the operation of its allocation scheme.
I keep the 2009 Act and associated regulations under review in the light of experience with their operation at local level and developments in the social housing sector generally. In that context, I will examine any information supplied to me about instances where it is suggested that housing authorities have imposed unreasonable restrictions or conditions on households when conducting social housing assessments or allocating social housing support. However, it will be appreciated that, under section 63 of the Local Government Act 1991, a local authority is, subject to law, independent in the performance of its functions and, as Minister, I am specifically precluded, under section 22(17) of the 2009 Act, from intervening in relation to the procedures followed, or decisions made, by housing authorities in the allocation of particular dwellings.
