O'Brien under fire for failing to act on social housing eligibility report

Report has sat on housing minister's desk for almost a year despite review being complete

Darragh O'Brien. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien is under fire for failing to act on a report on social housing eligibility which has sat on his desk for almost a year.

A review of the income limits currently in place to qualify for social housing was completed in November of last year. However, this report has yet to be published and there has been no change to the thresholds in more than a decade.

Calling on Mr O'Brien to immediately publish the report and increase the amount people can earn while qualifying for social housing, Labour Party housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said there is no point in carrying out reviews if they are not acted upon.

The current income eligibility limits, which were introduced in 2011, mean that to qualify for social housing the maximum amount a single person can earn is €35,000 in areas including Dublin, Kildare and Cork city. However, the income threshold is set at the lower limits of €30,000 and €25,000 in some local authority areas.

For families the thresholds are set between €30,000 and €42,000 depending on the local authority area, with the calculation based on the average net income earned in the previous 12 months.

The Government's Housing for All blueprint committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing.

A Department of Housing spokesperson confirmed that the review, which amongst other issues examined the efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, was completed by the Housing Agency in November 2021.

"The department is currently considering next steps and will publish the report in due course," the spokesperson added.

Ms Moynihan said: "The report hasn't been published and no movement has been made.

It doesn't sound like a housing emergency to me or that the minister has been proactive in taking initiatives.

"Darragh O'Brien must immediately publish the report and review income eligibility for people going into 2023 as we know that many more people on middle incomes should be qualifying for housing support," she said.

Ms Moynihan said people deserve a "fair break" and must be supported with housing, especially given the rising cost of living.

"The only people who can essentially get onto the social housing waiting list are single people on very, very low pay, or people who aren't in employment."

Earlier this year Cork county councillors wrote to the Housing Minister calling for a change of the thresholds.

Fianna Fáil councillor Seamus McGrath said the thresholds must now be increased "significantly" as the low income levels are acting as a disincentive in taking up employment or increasing the number of hours in work each week.

"I meet people regularly, whether they are individuals or couples, who are just outside the income limits. It has a very severe impact because you don't qualify for any of the housing supports then, such as Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), and obviously, whatever time you may have had on a housing list is gone because you lose your place on the list."