The purpose of rent supplement 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. 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 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Department has provided over €344 million for 2014.
Budget 2014 introduced changes to the weekly minimum contribution towards rent supplement for couples from €35 to €40 for new and existing recipients. This further aligns the minimum contribution payable under these schemes with the local authority differential rents structures. The measure equates to a rent supplement reduction of €21.60 per calendar month in respect of the customer referred to by the Deputy. I have no plans to revise the minimum contribution at this time.
Policy in relation to the differential rents scheme is a matter for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
The Department’s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support. Approximately 50,000 recipients, representing some 63% of the total rent supplement customer base, are in receipt of the supplement for over 18 months. In July 2013 the Government approved the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities using HAP. Officials in the Department are working with those in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government in developing proposals to give effect to this transfer and to facilitate a pilot in early 2014.
