Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 January 2014
169. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the serious hardship being caused in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if, in the circumstances, rent support will be approved in view of the fact that rents in the area generally are up to 40% higher than that charged in this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2156/14]
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 whom the Government has provided over €403 million in 2013. Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme have come into force with effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December 2014. The new rent limits were determined following an extensive review to ensure availability of accommodation for rent supplement tenancies rather than provide rent supplement tenants with access to all housing in all areas.
The Department currently funds approximately 30% of the private rented sector so it is essential that the rent limits are kept under review. Analysis shows that for Kildare, rental accommodation is available for rent supplement tenancies within the prescribed limits. The number of rental properties available in North Kildare is somewhat lower than the numbers available in the rest of the county with very low levels of available properties for new tenancies. Latest figures show that there are approximately 1,000 rent supplement recipients in the North Kildare area, with approximately 350 persons in receipt in the Celbridge area. These figures indicate that accommodation can be secured within the rent supplement limits.
In the case of this client, she is in receipt of rent supplement since the 1st May 2007 which continued until her claim was reviewed in November 2013 as a consequence of rent limit changes introduced in Budget 2013. The client was given a reasonable amount of time, originally 13 weeks, extended by a further 2 months, to locate alternative accommodation or to reduce her rent to the appropriate limit, as defined by legislation. Her rent supplement payment remains in suspense until confirmation of same.
