Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2023
357. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rules that govern the movement of housing assistance payment tenants from one local authority area to another; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21657/23]
View answer358. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a local authority can reject a housing assistance payment application for a tenant whose HAP application has been approved and processed by another local authority due to their income threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21658/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 358 together.
Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended, set down a standard procedure for assessing applicants for social housing support. Under this procedure, a household may apply for support to one housing authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it has a local connection, or the authority that agrees, at its discretion, to assess the household for support.
The flexibility of Housing Assistance Programme (HAP) as a social housing support is one of the scheme's key characteristics and was one of the primary benefits envisaged at the outset of the scheme. With this in mind, my Department issued circulars relating to inter-authority movement in 2017 and 2019, with the aim of facilitating movement of HAP households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP tenant wishes to access rented accommodation with HAP support in another local authority area.
Inter-authority movement is, however, subject to certain conditions, such as the relevant Social Housing Income Eligibility Bands and confirmation that the applicant's income is below the threshold in the new local authority.
HAP tenants that avail of inter-authority movement continue to be dealt with by their originating local authority. However, the rent limits applicable are those that apply in the local authority where the property is situated. The originating local authority will engage with the relevant new local authority to facilitate eligible requests for inter-authority movement.
HAP tenants who avail of inter-authority movement, can only be offered access to the housing transfer list of the originating local authority. The practical operation of transfer lists is a matter for each local authority to manage, on the basis of their own scheme of letting priorities. The making of such schemes is a reserved function of the local authority and as such is a matter for the elected members.
