Claim that violent criminals are getting social housing in Kildare
Photo for illustrative purposes only
Individuals with serious criminal convictions living in social housing “are making law abiding people’s lives a misery” in Kildare, claimed a local councillor.
The topic came at the most recent meeting of the Naas Municipal District in Áras Chill Dara on 10 March, where cllr Bill Clear sought to clarify what "conditions or restrictions apply to individuals with serious criminal convictions when they are being considered for allocation of a social housing property in this municipal district, and what penalties apply to existing social housing tenants who are subsequently convicted of serious offences?"
The report issued in response by the housing department said: 'As part of pre-tenancy checks the council may refuse to allocate or defer the allocation of a dwelling to a household if the council considers that a member of the household is or has been engaged in anti-social behaviour.
'Furthermore, if the allocation would not be in interest of good estate management or if the household fails to provide information requested by the council, including information relating to other household members residing together or proposing to reside together, which the council considers necessary in connection with an allocation.
'The period of deferral will be up to five years, depending on the nature and severity of the offence. Garda vetting and other relevant pre-tenancy checks will be carried out on all household members aged 18 and over.'
The council adopted an anti-social behaviour strategy in April 2024. The estate management team are also involved in supporting tenants in maintaining their tenancies.
The council said 'issues of anti-social behaviour and breach of tenancies are investigated promptly and all appropriate actions taken including but not limited to initiating legal proceedings'.
Cllr Clear was not satisfied with the answer, saying “it’s not anti-social behaviour I’m talking about, I’m talking about serious convictions” such as murder and rape.
He questioned if proper background checks were being carried out at all, and expressed his wish for the housing department to look into the matter.
Cllr Clear pointed to the number of people on the housing list in the county, stating his belief that people who “are not going to cause very serious problems going forward” should be favoured when it comes to housing allocation.
