Up to 3,500 people have been taken off Dublin City Council’s housing waiting list, and may not even know they have been removed.

Some councillors say the drop is because some people failed to return a questionnaire, resulting in them being removed.

The large drop comes following years of growth in waiting list numbers.

Sinn Féin councillor Noeleen Reilly says it means some people have been unfairly removed from housing waiting lists.

Ms Reilly said: “The way they (Dublin City Council) are doing things now clearly isn’t working. I have dealt with families, some of them have been on the waiting list 16 years, who were taken off it because they never received the original letters.

“And they would be housed right now if it wasn’t for this system. I think it’s really cruel, I think it’s really unfair.”