Vol. 413 No. 3
17 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline such discussions as have taken place between officials of his Department and officials of the Department of the Environment so as to ensure the acceptability of a rent book as the basis for qualifications for a rent allowance.
Landlords of formerly rent controlled dwellings are required by existing legislation to provide their tenants with rent books. As announced by the Minister for the Environment in the Plan for Social Housing, it is proposed to extend this requirement to the rest of the private rented sector subject to certain limited exceptions such as holiday accommodation.
I understand that the Minister for the Environment intends to introduce the necessary legislation in the current Dáil session and will be consulting in advance with my Department on relevant matters. The question of the use of rent books in support of applications for rent supplements will be examined in that context.
Is the Minister saying that rent books will be accepted as proof? The present difficulty is that landlords quite regularly refuse to give a receipt of any sort to their tenants and, in fact, they will not accept tenants if they know that they will be subsidised by a health board.
Landlords of formally controlled dwellings are required by law to provide their tenants with rent books. I think it would be advisable to await the introduction of the new legislation that proposes to extend that regulation. The Government will work with the Department involved to ensure that the new service can be availed of in all cases.
