A MINISTER OF State at the Department of Finance has said workers should get priority for social housing.

Fianna Fáil’s Robert Troy has said it would “incentivise people to work” and make the system “fairer”.

Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland, Troy said he made the submission to his local Westmeath County Council, where the Council’s housing strategic policy committee is carrying out a review of its letting priorities.

Troy said his submission asked if “there any way we can enhance the fairness of the scheme of letting priorities”.

He said he was “very clear” that while people who work “should get additional points or a weighted system”, he is not advocating for “excluding be people who cannot work because they have a full-time disability, full-time carers, or single parents with no access to child care”.

“But is there a way in which we can incentivise people to work,” said Troy.

He said there is full employment in Ireland but that many small businesses are “finding it extraordinarily difficult to get people to work”.

Troy added that as Westmeath County Council reviews its scheme of letting priorities, it is “important” to look at means of assisting people who are “working very hard and can’t get access to a permanent home”.

“That’s what I’m simply saying,” said Tryo, “now there’s an opportunity in Westmeath County Council to see if there is a fairer way.”

When asked if his submission to Westmeath County Council has the backing of Housing Minister James Browne or Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Troy said he hasn’t discussed it with either.

“This was something that is happening in Westmeath County Council and I made a suggestion to its strategic policy committee as they review the scheme of letting priorities: ‘Is there a way in which we can make it fairer and incentivise people to work?’

“It’s right and proper that we have a safety net in place for people when they need it, but it should never be preferable for people to choose unemployment and social welfare over work, that should never be the case.”

Simon Harris speaking to the media outside the UN Building in New York today. Christina Finn / TheJournal Christina Finn / TheJournal / TheJournal

Speaking in New York, Tánaiste Simo Harris was asked for his reaction to the remarks.

The Fine Gael leader said while he understood the broader point Troy was making, but said that ultimately the decision is up to local authorities in terms of housing allocation.

“We had a very good meeting recently in the Cabinet Committee on Housing, and the Minister for Housing brought forward proposals to Cabinet about a week later to try and provide extra funding to local authorities specifically to target the issue of reducing the number of homeless children in our country,” Harris said. 

“It is a big scar in our society that we have so many children without a home and I think that should be the priority,” he said.

“Of course, you should never be disadvantaged when you’re working. And I think that’s the point he’s trying to make and I understand the broader point he’s trying to make,”  Harris said.

“It’s up to local authorities and their social housing allocation scheme, but I would like to see a real, real focus on family homelessness and how we how we address that,” he added.

With additional reporting by Christina Finn in New York