The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently approximately 90,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement, for which the Government has provided €436m in 2012.
Historically rent supplements have been administered at a local level by the Community Welfare Service directly to the customer. As a result of the large increase in claims being made in recent years, with the number of persons in receipt of the allowance increasing by 62% during the period from 2007 to 2011, it was considered that the processing of rent supplement claims could be delivered more efficiently through centralised units in some areas. Departmental officers who were formerly community welfare officers continue to assess applications for rent supplement within the centralised units. The establishment of rent units also supports front line staff to focus in the delivery of basic payments and exceptional and urgent needs payments.
Customers living in one of the areas covered by a rent unit can obtain a rent pack from their local departmental representative. This pack contains detailed information and all the relevant application forms. This rent pack can also be requested by phone from the relevant unit. Information on the areas covered by rents units throughout the country is available on the Department’s website.
The timescale for determining individual applications for rent supplement is dependant, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as details of the applicant’s income, bank statements, information from landlords, etc. In addition, some aspects of the applications are inevitably time consuming and delays can occur where further investigations or third party evidence is required. Delays can also arise if the applicant is slow to respond to requests for additional information. If the Deputy has a concern in relation to processing delays in a particular rent unit or in respect of an individual, they should provide this detail to the Department for follow up.
The delivery of services in relation to processing rent supplement applications is subject to on-going review. However, I have no plans at this time to reverse the establishment of some centralised rent units. I am satisfied that staff makes every effort to decide rent supplement claims in an efficient, effective and timely manner.
