Housing Assistance Payment Administration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 April 2016

Thursday, 14 April 2016

Questions (771)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

771. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the regulations and guidelines he has provided to local authorities for the purposes of operating their housing assistance payment transfer lists; when he provided these; if he has not provided them, the reason therefore; and given that housing assistance payment has been in operation since January 2015, the reason for the delay in resolving this matter. [6601/16]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

As the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is deemed to be a social housing support under section 19 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, as amended, households in receipt of HAP are not included on the local authority waiting list for social housing support. However, HAP recipients may access other forms of social housing supports by applying to go on the local authority transfer list. On 16 December, 2014, I issued a statutory direction to all authorities involved in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) statutory pilot, instructing them to take the necessary steps to ensure that households benefitting from HAP can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support, should they wish to do so, through the transfer option. I also directed that HAP recipients, who apply to go on the transfer list, should get full credit for the time they spent on the waiting list and be placed on the transfer list with no less favourable terms than if they had remained on the waiting list. In practice, housing authorities inform HAP recipients in writing of their entitlement to apply to go on the transfer list when they are approved for HAP. As of 12 April 2016, 91 households have transferred from HAP to other forms of social housing support.

The Social Housing Strategy 2020 includes a commitment to examine the system of assessment and allocation of social housing support and make recommendations in this regard. The examination is underway and recommendations for changes to the system of assessment and allocation will be brought forward, in due course, including recommendations that may require changes to Regulations.