Housing agency has more onerous lending criteria than those issued by Minister, lawyers tell discrimination hearing

An Indian national living in County Cavan has brought complaints of discrimination against the State's Housing Agency at the Workplace Relations Commission, alleging his applications for a local authority home loan were wrongfully rejected on grounds of his non-EU nationality. Aloke Tirawy made three applications to Mayo County Council between February and March this year, each refused by the Housing Agency. His solicitor contends the agency has imposed lending criteria stricter than those issued by the Minister for Housing, including a five-year residency requirement not contained in the original ministerial regulations. The Housing Agency cited a 2023 credit policy in rejecting the applications, which Mr Tirawy's legal team argues could only lawfully be issued by the Minister and should have been publicly available. A State barrister acknowledged the guidelines extend beyond the original regulations but maintained they derive statutory authority from Oireachtas legislation. The Workplace Relations Commission adjourned the hearing, directing further legal submissions by 20 January 2025.