Courts / Donegal / Report

Woman takes High Court action over suspension from housing list

Date
2019-05-13

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Donegal

County
Donegal

Summary

Elizabeth Crumlish, a 66-year-old member of the Irish Travelling Community, has brought High Court judicial review proceedings against Donegal County Council. Ms Crumlish challenges the Council's decision to suspend her from its housing allocation list for one year. The Council alleges she refused two reasonable offers of accommodation, a provision under its 2011 Housing Allocation Scheme. Ms Crumlish, represented by Nora Ni Loinsigh BL and instructed by FLAC, contends the offers were unreasonable as they consisted of single-bedroomed houses in Letterkenny, far from the Bridgend or Burnfoot areas where she sought Traveller Specific Accommodation on a halting site. She seeks an order quashing the suspension, along with declarations that the decision was made without lawful authority, resulted from unlawful fettering of statutory discretion, was irrational, and failed to vindicate her constitutional and European Convention on Human Rights. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted permission to bring the challenge on an ex-parte basis. The matter was adjourned and made returnable to a date in July.