Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014
108. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will clarify his response to landlords who have literally set a regime of apartheid citing no rent allowance or work reference required. [25242/14]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Act 2004 sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants in the private residential rented sector covering, inter alia, security of tenure and the termination of tenancies. The provisions of the Act do not extend to the circumstances under which a landlord seeks a tenant for a property.
The Equal Status Acts 2000 – 2004, which come under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, provide protection against direct and indirect discrimination outside of employment on a range of grounds. Being in receipt of rent supplement is not among these grounds. Therefore the practice of discriminating against a person on the grounds that they are in receipt of rent supplement but are otherwise a suitable tenant, while indefensible, is not expressly prohibited under current legislation.
There are complex issues of law involved in this issue but I can advise that options, including that of legal remedy, to address the practice of discrimination in such instances are currently being explored by the relevant Departments in consultation with the Attorney General.
