To ask the Minister for Communities for his assessment of the social housing waiting list in Northern Ireland compared with other regions of the UK and Ireland.

The housing challenges that we face here are significant and the trend of increasing numbers on the waiting list and in housing stress is not sustainable. My assessment of the issues here has informed my Housing Supply Strategy, which sets out a fifteen-year framework, endorsed by the Executive, for the whole system change that is needed.

In terms of how the waiting list in NI compares to other jurisdictions I have sought this information from the Chief Executive of the Housing Executive, who has advised me as follows:

“It is difficult to compare social housing waiting lists in Northern Ireland with other regions of the UK and Ireland. This is due to the significant variation in how social housing waiting lists operate across the UK and Ireland. There can also be variation in how they operate between local authorities within a country.

There are differences in how eligibility for social housing is assessed. For example, in the Republic of Ireland, households must be below a particular income threshold to be considered for social housing. Households in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment in Ireland are not included on the waiting list for social housing (although they can be on a transfer list). In GB and the Republic of Ireland, some local authorities operate a local connections test to assess eligibility for social housing, whilst others do not. In Northern Ireland the Housing Selection Scheme does not refer to local connection.

There are also differences in how applicants are prioritised / ranked on a social housing waiting list. In Northern Ireland we operate one points-based system for the whole country. In England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, each local authority has its own allocations policy. In the Republic of Ireland most local authorities operate a “time on list” approach, so those that have been waiting the longest are allocated a property first. In Great Britain (GB), there is variation both across nations and within nations in how priority is determined. This includes the use of a banded approach to allocations (with varying number and types of bands), a points-based approach, or a combination of points and bands. A Choice-based lettings approach to allocations is also used by some local authorities across GB and Ireland.”