Data regarding the number of housing applicants who entered the State via a country other than their country of origin is not held by my Department, nor is it requested from or shared with local authorities or other Departments as it has no bearing on the social housing assessment process.
Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2024, is available on my Department's website, along with all summaries since 2011 at: www.gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-assessments/. The SSHA 2025 process is currently underway and I expect to publish the summary report before the end of Q1 2026.
Details of on the citizenship of the main applicant qualified for social housing support for each local authority are included in tables 2.9 and A1.9 in the report.
As social housing support is intended to address a household’s long-term housing need it is expected that households applying for such support have a long-term right to reside in the State. It is the responsibility of the local authority, to make a decision in each individual case with regard to qualification for social housing support, 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 and associated Housing Circulars. The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill that is currently at the final stages of drafting will put existing residency requirements on a more robust legislative basis and introduce a new habitual residency requirement for eligibility for social housing support. I intend to bring it to Government for approval to publish in the coming weeks.
My Department continually reviews the social housing eligibility framework and other related matters, as part of the broader social housing reform agenda to ensure that the social housing system efficiently delivers social housing supports that are fair, sustainable and prioritise those most in need.
Housing legislation currently provides for considerable data sharing measures with relevant bodies which local authorities may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to perform its functions under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014. My Department keeps these matters under constant review.
