I propose to take Questions Nos. 51, 52, 62 and 64 to 67, inclusive, together.
The 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 68,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015. In Dublin, there are currently over 25,300 landlords in respect of over 25,400 tenancies supported by a rent supplement payment. A detailed breakdown of rent supplement recipient numbers by county and information on expenditure for 2014 and to date in 2015 is provided in the tabular statements.
All prospective tenants, including those seeking to access rent supplement, are finding it increasingly difficult to secure appropriate accommodation due to the reduced availability of rental properties. In response to these difficulties, the Department has put in place a number of preventative measures to ensure that people at risk of homelessness or loss of their tenancy are supported under the rent supplement scheme where increased rental payments are required. The Department’s preventative policy allows for flexibility in assessing customers’ individual accommodation needs through the National Tenancy Sustainment Framework. Under this approach, each tenant’s circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis, and rents are being increased above prescribed limits throughout the country, as appropriate. Staff in the Community Welfare Service of the Department who administer the rent supplement scheme have a statutory discretionary power to award or increase a supplement for rental purposes, for example, when dealing with applicants who are at risk of losing their tenancy. This flexible approach has already assisted over 2,100 rent supplement households nationwide to retain their rented accommodation through the payment of increased rent payments. The number of rent supplement recipients in Dublin who contacted the Department highlighting difficulties in securing properties is not maintained. However, a total of some 1,400 rent recipients in Dublin have been supported through increased rental payments.
A Tenancy Sustainment Protocol in conjunction with Threshold was introduced in the Dublin region and Cork city where supply is particularly acute. The primary objective of the Protocol is to ensure a speedy intervention to ensure that families and persons at immediate risk of losing their tenancy get rapid assistance. Of the 2,100 households referred to above, almost 700 households in Dublin have been supported as a result of engagement under the Protocol and over 20 households in Cork City.
The Department’s response to the current housing difficulties, including any extension of the Protocol, remains under review at this time to ensure that the appropriate supports continue to be provided. The Department has also undertaken a communications campaign to ensure that persons in receipt of rent supplement worried about losing their home are provided with information on the supports available which includes issuing text messages to over 50,000 rent supplement recipients, issuing monthly tweets to Department followers, updating the website and the distribution of posters to Department Offices, Post Offices, Citizen Information Centres, MABs offices and Oireachtas members.
Under the legislative provisions governing rent supplement, the Department’s relationship is with the tenant; the tenant makes the application for rent supplement and payment is made to the tenant to assist them with their accommodation needs. There is no direct relationship between the landlord and the Department in the administration of the scheme. However, social welfare legislation provides for the payment of a rent supplement payment to a nominated payee such as a landlord on behalf of the tenant. This arrangement is entered at the tenant’s request and subject to the consent of the Department. Nominated payments are made under the rent supplement scheme in some 20% of cases.
The efficiency of the rent supplement scheme would be significantly affected if all payments were to be made directly to landlords, for the provision of short-term support. The Department’s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of being a short-term income support by transferring responsibility for persons with long-term housing needs to the local authorities under the new Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP). HAP is being designed so as to bring all of the social housing services provided by the State together under the local authority system and is currently being rolled out in selected local authority areas to over 2,200 households. Under HAP, the local authority pays the rent directly to the landlord.
Table 1: Rent Supplement Expenditure
Year
|
Cost €000
|
2014
|
338,3471
|
2015
|
107,2022
|
1. 2014 Revised Estimate
2. End April 2015
Table 2: Rent Supplement Recipients by County, End of May 2015
County
|
Recipients
|
DUBLIN
|
25,427
|
CORK
|
7,782
|
KILDARE
|
3,604
|
GALWAY
|
3,521
|
WEXFORD
|
2,486
|
WICKLOW
|
2,067
|
LIMERICK
|
2,021
|
TIPPERARY
|
1,923
|
LOUTH
|
1,913
|
DONEGAL
|
1,686
|
KERRY
|
1,660
|
MEATH
|
1,633
|
MAYO
|
1,607
|
WESTMEATH
|
1,498
|
CLARE
|
1,317
|
WATERFORD
|
1,311
|
CARLOW
|
1,064
|
LAOIS
|
1,003
|
OFFALY
|
960
|
KILKENNY
|
782
|
ROSCOMMON
|
656
|
SLIGO
|
482
|
CAVAN
|
421
|
LONGFORD
|
421
|
LEITRIM
|
326
|
MONAGHAN
|
316
|
Total
|
67,887
|