Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
470. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will issue a circular to local authorities updating housing policy as set out under section 63 of the Housing Act 1966 on the age of siblings sharing a bedroom to bring it into the 21st century; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63197/21]
View answerSection 63 of the Housing Act 1966 deals with overcrowding and inter alia establishes effective limits on the numbers of people that can occupy the same bedroom. Accordingly, a property will be considered overcrowded when the number of people normally sleeping there and the number of bedrooms are such that any two people, if they are older than 10 years old and of the opposite gender, must sleep in the same room.
Generally, the legislation empowers local authorities to prohibit the use of an overcrowded dwelling, serve notice on an owner specifying the maximum number of persons that may occupy it without causing overcrowding, and require property owners to take appropriate action to alleviate such overcrowding. Local authorities will also have regard to the existing accommodation of qualified households, including the extent to which it may be overcrowded, when prioritising the allocation of social housing.
Housing for All, the Government's national housing plan, will provide the environment for the delivery of an average of 33,000 homes per year over the period to 2030. This will also help address issues of overcrowding in residential accommodation by increasing the number of affordable, suitable and high quality homes available to all households.
