Noel Ahern
Question:41 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has for greater co-ordination and linkage between rent allowances and local authority housing lists. [13495/95]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Local Authority Housing.
Rent supplementation under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides a means, in addition to local authority housing and the other social housing measures, by which persons in need of housing and unable to provide it from their own resources can get access to suitable housing. SWA rent supplementation is funded by the Department of Social Welfare and administered by the health boards.
A review group on rent and mortgage supplementation under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, established by the Minister for Social Welfare, is at present completing its report. The Ministers concerned have agreed that, after this report has been considered, an interdepartmental committee, under the aegis of my Department, will then be set up to examine the major issues involved in transferring the administration of SWA rent and mortgage supplementation to the local authorities in accordance with the commitment given in the policy agreement, A Government of Renewal.
What are the Minister's priorities for that review group? When it reports will the Minister insist that local authorities control rent allowances in future? Will the Minister see to it that for a house to be approved for a rent allowance the standards that have been brought in will apply? What is the Minister's view on those matters? Specifically, the Minister may have noticed that lately Dublin Corporation is taking a very hard line in evicting drug dealers for anti-social behaviour. However, such people are going to the nearest clinic and getting a couple of hundred pounds a month to rent a private house which is nullifying the corporation's good work.
Exactly.
Can the Minister of State, in co-ordination with the Minister for Social Welfare, take some immediate action to stop that practice, whatever about the long term review group? It is making a skit of the good work the corporation is doing. The State should not help to re-house people who have been evicted from a corporation house for known and proven anti-social behaviour.
The Government adopted the principle in A Government of Renewal that such payments should come under the aegis of the local housing authorities. At present, there is a difficulty because these allowances are paid by the Department of Social Welfare. I am sure the Deputy supports the Government in the approach it has adopted. I must wait until that comes into force in order to determine how payments are made. Perhaps the Deputy should table his question to the Minister for Social Welfare.
The reply I gave clearly outlined my approach once the report, which was set up by the last Government and prepared for the Minister for Social Welfare, is completed. Once it is out of the way we can establish an interdepartmental group to work out how this transfer will take place. I understand the Deputy's impatience but he must understand that this change will require consideration and consultation to ensure that we do it in the best possible way. We must ensure that the crossover to which he referred, where Dublin Corporation takes one action and it appears to have been diluted by a Department, does not happen. However, that requires attention from a number of Departments to ensure we get it right.
A brief concluding question, Deputy.
I welcome the review group which I am sure will take most of the problems on board. I asked this question because of the intimidation and harassment in local authority estates. We cannot wait a year or 18 months for Dublin Corporation to do something about it. After a lot of reluctance it is now evicting people who are known drug dealers. I ask the Minister to take immediate action in this regard without waiting for the review group's report. It is ludicrous to evict people if another State agency houses them in expensive private areas where their anti-social behaviour will cause problems.
Dublin Corporation has taken this action to remove drug dealers from local communities and local authority estates.
But not putting them into private houses.
Those people will go somewhere.
Let them lie in the gutter.
The knock-on effect if that person or persons gets rent allowance is not my responsibility. If the Deputy wishes to pursue this matter, he should do so with the Minister for Social Welfare.
Would the Minister talk to him?
Perhaps we could deal briefly with Priority Question No. 42. The Minister's reply is brief and the Deputy will be allowed one supplementary question.