Mark Ward

Overall sentiment: 0.15
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I thank my constituency colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for the work he has done on this legislation. The Social Housing Passport Bill is a really important piece of legislation. It provides a person with the ability to move from one local authority list to another without losing their time on the housing list. I first raised this issue back in 2019 when I got elected in a by-election. It was in the 2020 programme for Government, but it was not included in the 2025 programme for Government. I am going to put my Dublin hat on because this measure is particularly needed in Dublin. Despite being the capital of our State, Dublin is a small county and people move across the four local authorities. For example, a HAP tenant on the Dublin City Council list cannot move to South Dublin County Council's list without losing their time on that list. One of the reasons the social housing passport is badly needed is a direct consequence of the housing list and the amount of time people are left languishing on it. I previously raised the case of a constituent living in my area in Newcastle, which is in South Dublin County Council's area. She has been living in Newcastle for 12 years. She set down her roots in the Newcastle area and her children go to school there but, because she is on Dublin City Council's list, she cannot apply for any of the homes that become available in the Newcastle area. If she wants to secure long-term housing, she will have to uproot her family. I hope the Government will support this Bill as it progresses through the House.

Sentiment score: 0.15