*The comments were made at a sitting of the Clare JPC.
A CLARE TD has said persons with a conviction for sexual offences should not be considered for social housing schemes that also include families.
Speaking at a meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Deputy Cathal Crowe (FF) argued for “a black mark” to be put beside applications for local authority housing if they have been convicted for a sexual offence. “If someone is a drug dealer, in the past they generally won’t be housed by Clare County Council, are sex offences also notifiable,” he asked.
Crowe said for the “safety of adults and children” it should be public knowledge if such offences are known to Clare County Council when applications are made. “It is something parents should know if they are letting their children out to play”.
Chief Superintendent in the Clare and Tipperary Garda Division, Colm O’Sullivan said matters relating to sex offenders “can be quite an emotive issue”. He added, “when a person is convicted in the courts there is a process to go through, that process is followed to the letter of the law by the guards and the local authority”.
Deputy Crowe then asked if it was notifiable and if someone could get housed by the County Council if they had a conviction for sexual offences.
Director of Services for Rural Development, Leonard Cleary commented, “The housing function, it is the local authority who make the decision which is made on a scheme of priorities, all people have a housing need”. He had previously outlined that a “strict protocol” is followed by the Council when it comes to vetting procedures.
Cleary continued, “We have a very prescriptive procedure that we need to follow in relation to garda vetting and that is followed religiously, we are obliged to all people in fairness and all people’s housing need”. He said that information “permitted to be shared is considered” by the Council.
An annoyed Crowe responded, “I’ve spoken in general and on anonymous terms. A drug offence means you won’t get houses. Is sex offences within the list of background checks? We don’t need to talk specifics”.
In response, Cleary confirmed, “All crime that is against the law of the land is inclusive to the list”.
Previous queries on the matter had also been raised by the Meelick native. Supt John Galvin explained, “When someone is convicted they are put on list of sexual offenders, depending on offence that can be for life or for a number of years, when they are on the register they are monitored by An Garda Síochána, the level of monitoring is depending on the risk they have”.
“I entered political life in 2004, I remember back then and very little has changed, when someone applies for social housing they lodge an application here, eight weeks later it comes back from vetting office, they are generally looking for someone involved in drugs, you don’t want a drug dealer coming in and the whole thing spreading like wildfire. The same question was asked to me if the same rigorous approach was followed for sex offenders,” Crowe remarked.
He added, “I don’t need to know but people in housing allocations need to know if a man or woman, young or old is a known sex offender, I would put it as a higher ranking than drugs particularly when you’ve an environment with a lot of young children. It should be an absolute black mark that nobody should be providing them with social housing and in an environment with other families”.
