The Minister for Housing is pleased to announce two important changes to the Housing Allocation Rules that become effective as from Monday 1st June 2009, namely:

1. The qualifying age for persons eligible to become housing applicants is being reduced from 21 years to 18 years; and

2. The Pre¬List waiting time (that is to say, the period of time that must elapse before joining the Housing List proper and which currently stands at two years) will be halved to just one year.

In order to assist all persons currently on the Housing Lists, and in recognition of the potential effects of these positive changes, existing applicants will receive a one¬off award of 600 additional waiting points.

Commenting, Housing Minister Fabian Vinet said: "I am happy and proud to announce these two initiatives which were important elements of housing¬related manifesto commitments. In particular, reducing the qualifying age from 21 to 18 is a welcome development and one that more appropriately mirrors a society where families and individuals wish to become more independent at a younger age.

Of course, lowering the qualifying age and halving the prelist will, in the short term, have a direct bearing on the length of the Housing Lists, but this will in due course be offset to a large extent by the new rental estate and the greater availability of flats that will arise once the Albert Risso House for the elderly is allocated later this year. In addition, and to offer a degree of protection to existing applicants (while at the same time not significantly prejudicing new entrants), all persons who became applicants prior to 1st June 2009 will be awarded an additional 600 waiting points."