O’Shea Welcomes Progress on Removal of Blanket Pet Ban within Approved Housing Bodies

Cork North West FG TD John Paul O’Shea has welcomed the announcement that a working group will be established by the Department of Housing in order to implement the removal of the current blanket ban and on having a pet in homes provided by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).

Deputy O’Shea said “Pets are an important part of many families, and it is deeply unfair to force people to give up a beloved pet in order to secure a home. No family should have to face such a distressing choice”.

“Following the submission of a Parliamentary Question raised in the Dáil by my Fine Gael colleague Deputy Maeve O’Connell to the Minister for Housing, James Browne TD, it has been confirmed that work is actively progressing on the removal of the blanket ban on pets in housing provided by AHB’s. The Minister’s confirmation that a review is underway of the Codes of Practice for the AHB allocation process is very welcome.

Deputy O’Shea added “When this policy was first announced, there were understandable concerns that introducing specific legislation could take significant time — time that families facing immediate housing pressures simply do not have. Confirmation that the removal of the ban will be progressed through updated codes of practice and service level agreements means this important policy can be implemented far more quickly. Having engaged with a wide range of AHB tenants across Cork North West and further afield, it is clear that approaches currently vary significantly”.

“Both families and AHB’s need clear, consistent guidance on what works best, and I look forward to the Department producing these updated codes of practice and service level agreements as a matter of priority”, concluded Deputy O’Shea.