Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2017
433. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 160 of 8 February 2017, the reason a housing assistance payment, HAP, was denied to homeless families for a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13316/17]
View answer434. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 160 of 8 February 2017, if he will report on the examination his Department is undertaking of Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 regarding housing assistance payment, HAP, and regeneration areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13317/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 433 and 434 together.
I refer to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 160 of 8 February 2017. The position remains unchanged.
One of the key functions of housing authorities is to provide or manage the provision of social housing support in a way that counteracts undue segregation between persons of different social backgrounds and ensures the provision of an appropriate mix of dwelling types and tenure classes.
Once a household has been deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing supports available, including the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority. Accordingly, local authorities may refuse to provide HAP in an area where they consider there to be an over concentration of social housing supports in place.
In relation to the individual case raised by the Deputy, local authorities are by law independent in the performance of their functions and I, as Minister, cannot intervene in relation to the procedures followed, or decisions made, by local authorities in the provision of social housing support, including the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.
