Meath council to continue water charges policy

Meath County Council has said it will continue to discriminate against housing tenants who have not paid water charges.

It said, however, that this applied only to existing tenants and not to those on the housing list seeking a council-owned home for the first time.

The council was commenting after the case of a family seeking a transfer was raised in the Dáil by Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín.

The tenants had been asked by the council to provide receipts to show their water charges had been paid.

Under the Data Protection Acts the local authorities are not allowed to access this information from Irish Water.

While personal details on the family were not revealed in the Parliamentary Question, it is not unusual for council tenants to seek alternative accommodation during their tenancy.

This can be due to a desire to relocate closer to relatives, an expanding family or on medical grounds, among other reasons.

Clean record

The council said the criteria for a transfer included having a clear rent record for six months, a clean record on anti-social behaviour and all home-related bills being paid.

A spokesman said it would be unreasonable to agree to re-create a tenant before all bills were paid to the council or other utility providers.

It therefore seeks proof from the person or family concerned that bills are paid.

Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Coveney said he understood Meath County Council’s transfer policy was set out in its housing allocation scheme.

“One of the requirements is that all service and other charges are paid and up to date. The tenant is required to submit confirmation of same when submitting the application,” he said.

The assessment of such transfer applications was a matter for the local authority concerned in accordance with its allocation scheme, he said.

Under the the Housing Act 2009 housing applicants may be ineligible where rent or other charges are owed to a local authority and no repayment scheme is in place.

The legislation also provides that a household in receipt of social housing support shall cease to be eligible for support where there are such charges owing, again to a housing authority.

However Mr Tóibín said the Act did not appear to disqualify applicants who owed debts to third parties, such as Irish Water.

The Minister said it was a matter for each local authority to set out the manner in which homes would be allocated.