Disappointment over issue of social housing ‘intimidation’ points

Mr Durkan, a member of the Committee for Communities, was speaking after the Communities Minister announced a radical overhaul to deal with the housing situation in the north.

Mr Durkan said: “Today is a missed opportunity to address the serious abuse of intimidation points under the Housing Allocation Scheme. The truth is that the abuse of intimidation points is grossly distorting local waiting lists and preventing people in genuine housing stress from getting a new home.

“Everyone knows that people are skipping the queue - it is deeply unfair and it needs to be addressed immediately. The Minister needs to outline exactly when she will bring an alternative proposal for allocation to the Assembly otherwise these abuses will simply continue.”

He also said that instead of consulting on the Right to Buy of Housing Executive homes, the Minister “could have ended this practice of depleting our social housing stock back in June when the SDLP proposed an amendment to that effect, which her party opposed”.

Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said that more work was needed on intimidation points.

“I do not intend to proceed with the proposal to remove intimidation points. People in danger in their own home need prioritisation under the selection scheme. The manner of that prioritisation needs to be tightly focussed on such people, including victims of domestic violence. But, consistent with this, the mechanisms for such prioritisation need to prevent abuse and provide robust verification.”