Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2013
104. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the low rent allowance limits for Arklow and surrounding areas (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53493/13]
View answerThe purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are currently approximately 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013.
Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme came into effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December 2014. The new rent limits have been determined following an extensive review of the private rental market. The rent limits review was completed during the second quarter of this year and used a number of data sources, including that of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) which contained details of actual registered rental tenancies. As outlined by the Deputy, the Daft.ie Q3 2013 rental report records a year on year increase of 4.4% in rents in County Wicklow. There is no detailed breakdown of this figure by area within the county or by property type.
There have been increases in the maximum rent limits in some areas including Bray, Delgany and Greystones while there have been some reductions across a number of counties, including parts of County Wicklow, reflecting the conditions in the rental markets in those areas.
There are currently over 2,400 rent supplement recipients in County Wicklow. Latest figures show that there are over 580 rent supplement recipients in the Arklow area, indicating that it is possible to secure accommodation in this location within the rent limits. A search conducted on a leading property website shows that there are properties available for rent in the Arklow area within the maximum rent limits. Officials in the Department continue to examine the impact of the rent limits on those who claim rent supplement.
Department officials operating the rent supplement scheme have discretionary powers to award a supplement at a higher level in exceptional cases where it appears that the circumstances of the case so warrant. Each case is examined individually and is decided on the basis of the situation presented. In relation to the case referred to by the Deputy, the officer administering the rent supplement claim has advised that the person concerned has been requested to provide documentation in support of the request for a rent supplement above the relevant rent limit. The claim will be reviewed by the Department on receipt of this documentation.
