Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2015
54. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the supports available from her Department for those in receipt of rent supplement in County Kildare who are having severe difficulty in accessing accommodation within the rental cap limits set for the county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17113/15]
View answerThe rent supplement scheme provides 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 approximately 70,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for in 2015.
The Department recently published a review of the maximum rent limits, “Maximum Rent Limit Analysis and Findings” and it is available on www.welfare.ie. The review finds that increasing rent limits at this time could potentially add to further rental inflation in an already distressed market, affecting not alone rent supplement recipients, but lower-income workers and students. Between the rent supplement scheme and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) administered by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the State accounts for a third of the private rented market. The State is therefore a very significant player in the sector which has a responsibility not alone to rent supplement recipients but also to the market as a whole, including all those in private accommodation.
In light of the review’s findings, the Department will instead continue to allow for flexibility in assessing customers’ accommodation needs through the National Tenancy Sustainment Framework. Under this approach, each tenant’s circumstances throughout the country, including those in the Kildare area, are considered on a case-by-case basis and rents can be increased above prescribed limits as appropriate. I am satisfied that this is the appropriate response at this time which has assisted in excess of 1,000 rent supplement recipients throughout the country to retain their rented accommodation.
In addition, the Department in conjunction with Threshold operates a Tenancy Sustainment Protocol in the Dublin and Cork areas where supply is most acute. The primary objective of the Protocol is to ensure a speedy intervention to ensure that families at immediate risk of losing their tenancy get rapid assistance. Of the 1,000 recipients mentioned above, over 530 households in Dublin and some 14 in Cork city have been provided assistance through increased rent limits under the Protocol.
The review clearly points out that the main cause of difficulty for persons renting or seeking to rent at this time is the much reduced availability of affordable private rented accommodation, which is representative of the position in Kildare. The issue of supply is being addressed by Government through the Construction 2020 Strategy and the Social Housing Strategy. My Government colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, is also considering a number of policy options in relation to achieving greater rent certainty.
I can assure the Deputy that I am keeping this matter under close review to ensure that the appropriate supports continue to be provided for rent supplement recipients.
