COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (1)

Monday, March 15, 2010

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor S. Crowe

"To ask the Manager if a housing applicant will still be considered and possibly offered  housing accomodation during the period they are on and in accommodation covered under the present RAS scheme?"

REPLY:

At present Rent Supplement recipients who transfer to the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) remain on the Housing List and are entitled to one further offer of council housing. 

It is current national housing policy that an applicant for social housing is entitled to two offers of  accommodation, either standard local authority or RAS, before being removed from the housing list.The transfer to RAS is considered their first offer and if they subsequently refuse one offer of standard council housing, the applicant is deemed to have opted for RAS as their tenure of choice and they are removed from the waiting list.

In the case of Rent Supplement recipients who transfer to the RAS designated council owned properties the situation differs.  These applicants are removed from the Housing List as their accommodation needs are deemed to have been met on a permanent basis .

A variety of procurement measures are being used to provide accommodation to meet the needs of applicants on the Housing List.  These measures have been adapted to meet to challenges arising from a decrease in the Public Capital Programme, the collapse in the property market and the conclusion of any significant construction programmes. Aligned to these changes, alterations such as the reduction from 3 offers to 2 have also had to be made in allocating social housing.