Written answer
Housing Policy
Local authorities independently decide whether to continue or terminate tenancies involving imprisoned tenants, under housing legislation, tenancy terms, fair procedures and their own policies.
343. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to state whether any guidance or policy is provided by his Department to local authorities dealing with tenancy arrangements and terminations for tenants who have received custodial jail sentences. [66391/26]
Comment on this
The management and administration of local authority housing tenancies is, in the first instance, a matter for each local authority in the exercise of its statutory functions under the Housing Acts 1966 - 2026.
My Department does not issue specific guidance or policy to housing authorities dealing with tenancy arrangements or the termination of tenancies solely on the basis that a tenant has received a custodial sentence. Any decision regarding the continuation, management or termination of a tenancy is a matter for the local authority concerned, having regard to the relevant legislative provisions, the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement, the circumstances of the individual case, and the local authority's own policies and procedures.
Local authorities act in accordance with the provisions of the Housing Acts 1966 - 2026, fair procedures and their broader responsibilities in relation to tenancy and estate management. Accordingly, responsibility for decisions affecting individual tenancies rests with the relevant local authority.