I propose to take Questions Nos. 161, 163 and 164 together.
The management of social housing, including the Housing Assistance Payment, in each area, is a matter for the relevant local authority, taking account of local circumstances and needs.
Maximum rent limits for the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme are set for each housing authority area by the Housing Assistance Payment (Amendment) Regulations 2017, which are available on the Irish Statute Book website at the following link: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/si/56/made/en/print?q=S.I.+56
The HAP limits were agreed in conjunction with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP). In reviewing rent limits, the Department worked closely with the DEASP and monitored data gathered from the Residential Tenancies Board and the HAP Shared Services Centre. The new rent limits set in the Regulations reflected significant increases on previous limits, in the order of 60% in some areas.
Local authorities also have discretion, because of local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum rent limit by up to 20%, or up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of, homelessness. To qualify for specific additional supports available to homeless households, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988.
It is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the flexibility is warranted on a case by case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case.
My Department closely monitors the level of discretion being used by local authorities, taking into account other sources of data, including Residential Tenancies Board rent data published on a quarterly basis. I am satisfied that the current maximum rent limits, together with the additional flexibility available to local authorities, are generally sufficient to support the effective operation of the HAP scheme.
It is worth noting that not all households receiving HAP for the first time are reliant on the availability of properties on the private market. Many tenancies arise from referrals and other forms of communication. Some households receiving HAP for the first time transfer from Rent Supplement in an existing tenancy. Other households who were not in receipt of Rent Supplement and so are receiving financial support for the first time, can also enter the scheme in an existing tenancy.
Inter-authority movement is allowed under the Scheme to facilitate movement of HAP households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP tenant, currently on a local authority waiting list, wishes to access rented accommodation with HAP support in another local authority area. Inter authority movement is, however, subject to certain conditions, such as the Social Housing Income Eligibility Bands and confirmation that the applicant's income is below the threshold in the new local authority.
Given that such flexibility facilitates better utilisation of all private rental stock for social housing purposes and supports the maximum activation potential of HAP households by removing geographical barriers to employment, all local authorities have been requested to give appropriate consideration to these requests. HAP tenants continue to be dealt with by their originating local authority. However, the rent and discretion limits will be those that apply in the local authority where the property is situated.
I am conscious that increasing the current HAP rent limits could have negative inflationary impacts, leading to a detrimental impact on the wider rental market, including for those households who are not receiving HAP support.
My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review and it is a key mechanism in meeting housing need across the Country. However, it should be noted that, at the end of Q2 2020, an average of 301 additional tenancies are supported by HAP each week, with over 56,500 households having their housing needs met under the scheme at that point.
