Nolan seeks clarification on Offaly's exclusion from changes to social housing eligibility

NO clarification has been provided on why the Offaly Local Authority Area was excluded from the revised social housing income levels that came into effect on October 1st. Laois Local Authority Area, however, is one of the five areas in which the new rates will apply.

The matter was raised during a Dáil debate on the Government’s Housing for All policy by the Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan.

Deputy Nolan also raised the need for a value-for-money review of the hundreds of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) who have received billions in state funding in recent years, funding which does not appear to be matched by delivery, according to Deputy Nolan.

“Minister Darragh O’Brien needs to make it absolutely clear why he saw fit to exclude Offaly from the recent revision of the social housing income thresholds, because to date, no such rationale has been provided,” Deputy Nolan said.

“I have families coming to my offices who are in incredibly dire circumstances in terms of housing but who have been knocked back from applying from social housing assistance because they are marginally over the existing income limit.

“If Government can accept that a revision of income thresholds needed to be applied in Laois and the four other local authority areas based on upward movement in rents in recent years, then the same logic should surely be made to apply to Offaly.

“One way in which the increased income thresholds might be resourced would be to urgently conduct a value-for-money review of the hundreds of Approved Housing Bodies who routinely receive extraordinary levels of state funding for what appears to be very little output.

“We need to ensure that money is targeted and directed to where it is needed most and Offaly certainly falls into that category,” concluded Deputy Nolan.