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Tánaiste Simon Harris has described claims that foreign nationals are receiving social housing ahead of Irish applicants as “disinformation”.
Speaking to reporters outside Government Buildings ahead of this week’s Cabinet meeting, the Fine Gael Minister was asked about calls from some Kerry County councillors for the nationality of people receiving housing support to be published in an effort to address public speculation about housing allocations.
Harris said he did not support the proposal.
“I don’t support that,” Harris said.
“I wasn’t aware of that. But what I do support is having absolute clarity in the legislative basis as to who is and isn’t entitled to social housing in Ireland and what the rules around it are, and I very much welcome the legislation that Minister O’Brien is bringing forward in relation to making it very clear that habitual residency matters.”
“I’ve long been of the view – in fact, I’ve said it, and people have tried to say I’m wrong when I wasn’t – that you don’t have a situation in Ireland where everybody has an automatic legal entitlement to social housing.”
The Tánaiste said the proposed legislation would help ensure a consistent approach to housing eligibility across the country.
“I think underpinning that in primary legislation is an important clarity to provide, because again, we don’t want an inconsistent approach,” he said.
“We can’t keep on living in a small country where, depending on which part of the country you live in, there’s a different approach taken in relation to housing. And I think the legislation is good.”
Harris also argued that nationality should not be the basis for discussions around housing eligibility.
“There’s so many people who have come to our country of different nationalities who make a bloody great contribution to this country,” he said.
“Whether it’s our health service, whether it’s our economy, whether it’s our education sector. So, you know, I don’t think we should ever divide on nationality. It should be on clear, consistent rules as to who does and doesn’t have an entitlement to housing or various other supports.”
The Tánaiste was subsequently asked to address claims circulating online that people arriving from outside Ireland, including asylum seekers, are receiving housing ahead of others already living in the State.
Harris described those claims as false and said forthcoming legislation would provide additional clarity regarding eligibility requirements.
“That is disinformation,” he said.
“It’s disinformation, and it’s unhelpful. It’s unfair, and it’s untrue.”
“I think it is important to provide legislative clarity, and I’ve long held this view. I’ve said this many, many, many, many times in relation to the entitlement of a house.”
He continued by referring to the habitual residency requirement that applies in relation to social housing.
“There has been circulars in the past and I very much welcome the fact that Minister O’Brien is bringing forward legislation in relation to that, that you do need to have been resident in our country for a certain period of time to access social housing, not talking about emergency accommodation, but social housing,” Harris said.
“And I think that’s a useful clarity, but I don’t believe in dividing on the basis of nationality.”
Gript subsequently asked Harris why nationality figures relating to housing recipients should not be published if, as he argued, claims of preferential treatment for foreign nationals were false.
Responding, Harris challenged critics to produce evidence showing that people of different nationalities were being housed more quickly than Irish applicants.
“Well, let’s just unpack that,” he said.
“It is disinformation, because let’s not ask me to prove a false narrative, because I can’t prove a false narrative.”
“So, can you provide any evidence or can anybody provide any evidence that people of different nationalities to Irish people are getting a home quicker than an Irish person and not adhering to objective criteria? I really welcome that.”
“…you’re all objective independent journalists to scrutinise information, and presumably none of you have information in your capacities, and I don’t in mine, that shows that there is a queue-skipping approach, which is the loaded part of this question… I don’t have any of that information,” he said.
The Tánaiste went on to argue that nationality was not a useful measure when assessing entitlement to housing supports.
“Nationality is an extraordinarily crude instrument,” Harris said.
“I mean, there are people in this country who are extraordinarily welcome, I’m very glad they’re here, who are of a different nationality.”
“And they may well have an entitlement to access certain state supports, and we may well be very glad that they are.”
He also referred to businesses that recruit workers from abroad and reiterated that housing eligibility should be based on legal criteria.
“So nationality, what does nationality tell us?” Harris said.
“There’s small businesses who will actively seek people to come from abroad to help run their business. So, I don’t see the benefit in nationality as an instrument.
“But I’m very clear, and I’ve said it publicly, and I’ve been criticised for saying it several times, but it’s the truth: habitual residency is a criteria that must be applied when it comes to social housing.”
The exchange comes amid ongoing political debate regarding social housing eligibility, migration policy and the allocation of State supports.
The Government has been progressing legislation intended to place social housing residency requirements on a clearer statutory footing. Ministers have argued that the move will provide greater consistency in how eligibility rules are applied by local authorities across the country.
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