444. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51006/26]

Due to the quasi-judicial nature of the work of the Residential Tenancies Board, neither I as Minister nor my Department are permitted to comment on, or to intervene in the specifics of any individual case.

While I have no function in the matter raised, I wish to advise that the national housing charity, Threshold, operates the Tenancy Protection Service (TPS), which is a service supported by Government, providing advice and support to households living in private rented accommodation who are experiencing tenancy problems, including where a tenancy is at risk of termination. The TPS seeks to protect existing tenancies and keep tenants in their homes. The Tenancy Protection Service (TPS) helpline on free-phone 1800 454 454 – available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm. Further information is also available at www.threshold.ie.

I urge anyone who may be at risk of homelessness to contact their local authority, which can offer guidance to any individual or household who presents with a Notice of Termination and advises the housing officer that they are at risk of homelessness. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for housing support through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Once a household has been deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing supports available, including the HAP scheme, to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority. This includes determining whether it is appropriate to refer a household to the Homeless HAP Place Finder service, which is a targeted support for households in emergency homeless accommodation, or who are at immediate risk of entering emergency accommodation, who may find it difficult to secure accommodation via the HAP scheme.