Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Report and Final Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-08
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James Browne (FF), Wexford

I move amendment No. 1:
In page 5, line 10, to delete “Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009” and substitute the following:
“Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009; to provide for additional eligibility criteria for access to certain services provided to homeless persons under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988; to provide for withdrawal of such services in certain cases; to provide for an appeal in respect of such withdrawal; for those purposes to amend the Housing Act 1988”.
On Second Stage of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, I indicated that I would bring forward a number of homelessness-related amendments to the Housing Act 1988. I am now putting these amendments before the House.
The amendments are proposed in the context of the considerable changes in the nature of homelessness that have occurred since the Housing Act 1988 was enacted. In line with amendments to eligibility for social housing support, lawful residency and habitual residency as the eligibility criteria for accessing homeless supports are being put on a statutory footing. This will ensure the State is operating a harmonised and consistent approach to the provision of social entitlements in general.
To guard against rough sleeping, a safety net service is being introduced to allow local authorities to provide emergency accommodation to a person deemed ineligible for homeless supports and services. This service will be provided in strictly limited circumstances on a night-to-night basis. The circumstances in which local authorities can withdraw the provision of emergency accommodation will be expanded to include refusal of a reasonable offer of social housing made by a local authority and circumstances where a person engages in behaviour causing or intending to cause serious harm or death to another user or staff member of the emergency accommodation.
A further amendment will introduce a mechanism of appeal against decisions made by local authorities in relation to the withdrawal of the provision of emergency accommodation. I am also introducing an obligation on local authorities to have regard to the best interests of children when making decisions on the available accommodation to be provided to a family with children who have been assessed as homeless. As a complement to this measure, a definition of child is being introduced to the Housing Act 1988. As Deputies will already be aware, a Committee Stage amendment to the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 would make the Child and Family Agency a mandatory member of each joint homelessness consultative forum across the country.

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Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-08