Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 October 2022
285. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will be changing the income threshold for getting on the Donegal County Council social housing list (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48231/22]
View answer302. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish the review that his Department has on the social housing income limits; the bodies or individuals that his Department consulted with in the course of carrying-out the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48486/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 302 together.
The review on social housing income thresholds is now available at the link below on my Departments website:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/c49a0-review-of-income-eligibility-for-social-housing-support/
The background to the report is the commitment in Housing for All, which was published in September 2021 to review income eligibility for social housing. The review was conducted by the Housing Agency on behalf of my Department.
The review, which examined inter alia the efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, has been completed and I have recently approved implementation of its recommendations. This included the commissioning of work to scope and develop options for a revised or new social housing income eligibility model. This work will commence shortly under the aegis of the Housing Agency who have been tasked with commissioning it. It is expected that the work will be complete by the end of 2022.
Pending completion of this work, I have also approved changes to the social housing income eligibility bands. Five local authorities - Carlow, Clare, Galway County, Laois and Westmeath - will be moved from Band 3 to Band 2. Accordingly, the baseline income eligibility threshold for these areas will increase from €25,000 to €30,000. The change reflects the movement in rents in recent years in these areas and will ensure local authority areas with similar accommodation costs continue to be grouped together in the respective bands. The changes came into effect from 1 October 2022.
It is now appropriate to await the report I referred to before considering the appropriate income threshold levels for all counties, and the potential impact of any changes that might arise.
