Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 5

Written Answers. - Asylum Seekers Accommodation.

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme payment of a weekly or monthly supplement may be made in respect of rent to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. Rent supplements paid under the SWA scheme are administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards and neither I nor my Department has any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.

I understand that the Deputy is interested in the situation as it applies to all SWA rent supplement recipients and not just SWA rent supplement recipients who are asylum seekers. The position is that accommodation is not provided in the private rented sector by the State to asylum seekers or to any other groups. The individuals concerned locate their own accommodation in the private rented sector and enter into a contract with the landlord in their own right. They claim rent supplement subsequently when they are already the tenant of the accommodation in question.

In order to qualify for a rent supplement a person must satisfy a means test. Health board must also satisfy itself that the applicant has a genuine accommodation need, that the property being rented is suitable to those needs and that abona fide tenancy exists between the applicant and their landlord.

It is not a requirement that the landlord is registered with the relevant local authority. To introduce such a requirement would inevitably lead to a restriction in choice of accommodation for applicants for SWA as only a minority of rented property is registered with local authorities. It would also lead to difficulties for tenants who have been living in unregistered accommodation for some time before the need to claim rent supplement first arose. Responsibility for enforcing both the housing standards and housing registration regulations rests with the local authorities. As the Deputy may be aware, the Government has decided in principle to introduce a new scheme of private sector rent assistance which will also be operated by the local authorities. This will increase the level of contact that local authorities have with the private rented sector and place them in a better position to enforce both the standards and registration regulations. I understand that my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, will be bringing detailed proposals to Government shortly.