Vol. 305 No. 9
asked the Minister for the Environment if he proposes to introduce amendments to the national differential rent scheme, to ensure that the possibility of some tenants paying a higher rent when they are unemployed than when they are in a job, is eliminated from the scheme.
407.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he proposes to introduce amendments to the existing national differential rent scheme, to ensure that a tenant who has been paying rent when in receipt of unemployment assistance does not find that on subsequent transfer to disability benefit his rent may increase substantially, as may happen at the moment.
408.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will eliminate the anomalies presently contained in the national differential rent scheme, details of which are available for most local authorities.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 406, 407 and 408 together. The main objective of the national differential rent scheme is to ensure that no one is denied housing by a local authority because of his inability to pay rent and that housing subsidies benefit those who most need them. Under the 1978 scheme, the principle of the earlier scheme that rents of local authority dwellings should be assessed on the basic income of tenants is continued and such rents are adjusted upwards or downwards to meet the changing circumstances of tenants as they arise. In cases of hardship, however, local authorities may agree to accept from a tenant for a specified period a lesser sum for rent than that laid down under the scheme.
The provisions of any national scheme of differential rents may appear to give rise to anomalies as between the rents payable by different tenants. I am satisfied that every effort has been made in the present scheme to ensure that the principle of assessing rent on basic income has been complied with while at the same time endeavouring to reduce to a minimum anomalies which might arise from the implementation of that principle. The scheme was accepted as equitable by the National Association of Tenants' Organisations.
The scheme is subject to annual review and if the Deputy will bring to my notice specific instances of anomalies, I will have these examined when the next general review of the scheme is being carried out later this year.
