Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 October 2025
282. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide the data he has available on the number of households that were rendered ineligible for social housing due to an uplift to the working families payment in January 2025. [53167/25]
View answerMy Department does not hold the data requested. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended, prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority in different bands according to the area concerned, with income defined and assessed according to a standard Household Means Policy.
The policy provides for a range of income disregards and local authorities have discretion to disregard income that is temporary, short-term or once-off in nature. All income from social assistance payments, allowances and benefits, including the working family payment, is assessable.
The payments included in the Policy were last reviewed in 2021. As it was found that the majority of working family payment recipients are in receipt of the payment for more than one year, it was recommended that the working family payment should not be considered short term in nature and, therefore, should remain as assessable income. However, my Department keeps the Household Means Policy under regular review in order to ensure that it continues to be appropriate.
