Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 February 2017
120. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if consideration will be given to collating numbers on social housing transfer lists nationally; his views on whether these numbers have increased in local authority areas that have introduced the housing assistance payment scheme, HAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9047/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe practical operation of transfer lists is a matter for each local authority to manage, on the basis of their allocation scheme made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. My Department does not gather or hold any information on households seeking a transfer to an alternative social housing support, whether they are currently having their housing need met through HAP, RAS or any other form of support. My Department does not have any plans at present to collate such data.
On 16 December 2014, a statutory direction was issued to all authorities involved in the HAP scheme instructing then to take the necessary steps to ensure that households benefitting from HAP can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support, should they wish to do so, through a transfer option. Local authorities were also directed that HAP recipients, who apply to go on the transfer list, should get full credit for the time they spent on the waiting list and be placed on the transfer list with no less favourable terms than if they had remained on the waiting list.
It is ultimately up to the household to choose if they wish to be placed on a local authority’s transfer list, and I understand that a majority of HAP households do avail of this option.
