Housing Policy
Dail Éireann — 2022-09-28
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Ruairí Ó Murchú (SF), Louth

As already said by Deputies across both sides of this Chamber, the reality is there are a very large number of people on very low wages and they are literally being excluded from the social housing list on the basis of anomalies that might appear in their incomes in a particular year because of shift allowances and so on. This may leave them in a set of circumstances where they cannot rent. I am aware of a number of people in Dundalk in the past while who have been refused in a situation where a circumstance has changed.
Previously, local authorities were able to make a determination on the basis of a four-week period. Now it is done over the entire year, so if anything was to happen, for example, if there was a period where a person was working extra time, and sometimes this can be required in a healthcare setting, then his or her place on the waiting list is null and void and he or she is incapable of getting on the housing list. Such people are absolutely screwed and are really on borrowed time.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-09-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-09-28