COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 13, 2011

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor C. Jones

To ask the Manager to state any progress in the plans to review the scheme of letting priorities in order that it would give more choice to applicants in terms of location, including particular Council estates (for e.g. if the estate concerned was close the school their children attend or it is an estate their parents live in etc.) and to give numbers of applicants who have successfully availed of this choice?

REPLY:

The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Section 22, requires Housing Authorities to make a new Allocation Scheme to determine the allocation of dwellings to households assessed as being qualified for social housing support.  Consequent on the commencement of Section 22  on 14th June 2010, each housing authority is required to make an allocation scheme by 13th June 2011 and the direction from the Department is that  the continued use  of the existing Scheme incorporating the changes introduced in respect of assessment of social housing need will be acceptable going forward .   An inter party sub group of the Council have considered the draft New Allocations Scheme for submission to Council for adoption. The draft has also been examined by the Housing and Social Development SPC.

Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, SI. No. 84 of 2011, Part 2, sets out specific criteria in relation to areas of choice for housing applicants.  The criteria states that housing applicants may only express interest in 3 areas and 2 of these interests maybe in other Dublin Authorities subject to certain criteria being met. At present South Dublin County Council has 5 housing areas.  Under these new Regulations it would not be feasible to list individual housing estates as areas of choice as this would  be counter productive and limit applicants' overall housing areas and the Councils ability to provide meaningful opportunities of social accommodation . 

The draft Allocations Scheme for South Dublin County Council is before the Council at its meeting of 13th June 2011.