Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2018
519. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if public sector pension deductions are classified as a statutory declaration in the calculation of rent for local authority dwellings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38355/18]
View answer520. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the method of calculation of the differential rent for local authorities and voluntary housing bodies is absolutely identical; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38356/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 519 and 520 together.
Current local authority rent differential schemes generally set out that assessable income is net of statutory deductions such as income tax, PRSI, universal social charge, pension deductions, etc, which is in line with the Household Means Policy, which local authorities must use in assessing an applicant’s eligibility for social housing in the first instance.
In respect of tenants in Approved Housing Body (AHB) homes that are funded under the Capital Advanced Leasing Facility (CALF)/Payment and Availability (P&A) arrangements, the differential rent scheme of the relevant local authority is applied by the AHB. In homes funded under the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme tenants pay a rent to be determined by the AHB, subject to a minimum set out by my Department. In AHB homes funded under the Capital Assistance Scheme, tenants pay an economic or reasonable rent (such tenants may sometimes avail of Rent Supplement from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection).
Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 enables the Minister to introduce a national differential rents framework which will harmonise local authority rents, including income disregards. Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft framework, and this work is now being examined further in the light of the broader commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, to review the disparate systems of differential rent for social housing in place across local authorities. The overall objective is to ensure that housing supports are fair and sustainable, prioritise those on lowest incomes and avoid creating social welfare traps that may prevent people from either returning to work or to the private housing market. It is expected that the review will be completed shortly. It is intended that the meaning of assessable income, and income disregards, will be standardised across the country in the proposed national framework.
