Galway City Council's explanation of its handling of the case involving a 48-year-old woman who died on the day she was due to be evicted is set out in a full report which has been circulated to councillors.
The report about the controversy says council officials were taking steps to ensure that the late Ms Bríd Cummins would not have become homeless.
The case became the subject of controversy early last month when Ms Cummins was found dead at her flat on the day of her eviction.
Two days later, it emerged that the independent organisation for the homeless, Cope, had been directed by the city council not to facilitate her if she presented herself to it. Cope decided it would assess her need, but Ms Cummins did not contact it before her death.
The report into the case by the acting city manager, Mr Joe O'Neill, says all actions taken were consistent with policy, but acknowledges that the council's letter to Cope was "not clear".
The letter should have stated that the instruction related only to city council facilities for the homeless, or accommodation funded by the city council, he says.
Outlining the background to its decision to evict Ms Cummins, which was backed up by a District Court ruling and Circuit Court appeal, Mr O'Neill's report says Ms Cummins had had "a number of interactions" with the city council in the course of her tenancy relating to maintenance issues, a request for a transfer and complaints against her neighbours. For their part, the neighbours had made complaints against Ms Cummins.
Ms Cummins, who had a disability, was given the downstairs flat at Munster Avenue, Galway, in September 1998 after she applied for social housing in 1994. Difficulties with the upstairs tenant arose over the next year and she applied for a transfer on January 31st, 2000.
Although this was supported by letters submitted by Ms Cummins's doctor, the local authority decided not to accede to the request as it was satisfied with the flat's condition. The tenant upstairs also applied for a transfer and this was granted in December 2002, when suitable alternative accommodation for the elderly became available.
"In acceding to this request, it was envisaged that it would also address many of the complaints made by Ms Bríd Cummins," the report says.
Ms Cummins initiated legal action against the city council in July 2003, and the city council says it was then obliged to conduct its affairs through its legal advisor.
The report explains that the council decided to pursue an eviction order when complaints against Ms Cummins escalated and it was believed she was a substantial risk to the physical welfare of her immediate neighbours.
When it secured the eviction order against Ms Cummins and contacted Cope, it was acting under its anti-social behaviour policy which was approved by city councillors, it says. The report recommends that this policy be reviewed early this year.
It says the council had agreed to provide assistance towards private rented accommodation, through the organisation Threshold, for Ms Cummins when she was evicted.
However, there is no provision for rent allowance in the council's anti-social behaviour policy, which states that tenants evicted for such behaviour will not be entitled to either emergency homeless services or supplementary welfare allowance.
Threshold, the national housing organisation, was unavailable for comment at the weekend. Cope said it could not comment on the report as it had not seen its contents.
The Mayor of Galway, Cllr Catherine Connolly (Lab), said she would still be seeking an inquiry into the handling of the case and housing policy generally if she was not satisfied with the response from the city council when the report is discussed next Monday. The report had not explained adequately why Ms Cummins was denied a request for a transfer, she said.