Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 10 Dec 2015

Vol. 900 No. 2

Other Questions

Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision

Michelle Mulherin

Ceist:

6. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the status of his ongoing consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding the National Rural Water Services Committee's recommendation for funding specific new group water schemes in previously CLÁR-funded areas, which under current funding rules are not viable for delivery because of funding shortfalls, when he will be in a position to implement the recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44044/15]

Deputy Michelle Mulherin

The Minister of State may recall that I previously tabled a question in regard to the provision of rural group water schemes in seven regions of Mayo for people who currently do not have a proper water supply. I do not propose to repeat what I said previously on this issue except to say that something needs to be done.

Mayo County Council has €400,000. It looks like it will be sent back unless the funding shortfall is addressed by the Department.

Deputy Ann Phelan

Last month, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government outlined to the House the efforts he is making to address the funding issues associated with specific group water schemes in the Deputy's county. Although the specific issue has not been resolved conclusively with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the matter has been superseded by work on the development of a new rural water multi-annual programme.

My Department recently established a working group involving key stakeholders in the rural water sector to address the overall development of the sector within the overall water sector reform programme to ensure the programme responds effectively to current and future needs. Local authorities, the water services transition office of the Local Government Management Agency, Irish Water and the National Federation of Group Water Schemes as well as my Department are represented on the working group. One of the tasks of the group is to develop a multi-annual approach to targeting funding to meet priority needs of the sector. The group met last week and agreed the principles governing the new rural water multi-annual funding framework for 2016 to 2018.

It is intended that details of the new multi-annual programme will be announced in the coming weeks after having obtained the necessary sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on specific aspects of the programme. Local authorities will be invited by year end to bid for 2016 funding to provide a perspective on funding needs for schemes in their areas for 2017 and 2018 as well as to bid for suitable demonstration projects in line with the criteria to be set by the working group for some categories of projects. The overall funding arrangements for 2016 onwards for all group water schemes, including those in previously CLÁR-funded areas, will be set out in this context.

Deputy Michelle Mulherin

I very much welcome the work that has been done to date, particularly the recommendations of the national rural water services committee, but there is a time for action. I want to know whether Mayo County Council will have to send back the funding and whether we will see some movement on the seven schemes in Mayo that have been in limbo since 2010. The total shortfall to deliver water to the 235 houses is estimated at €662,346. Will there be some solution before the end of the year? Can some hope be given to these people? We have a vision for everyone else through Irish Water and these people are left in limbo.

Deputy Ann Phelan

I understand the Deputy's frustration. I know she has raised this issue a number of times in the House but I ask her to bear with us. We are making very good progress in this area and we expect to make an announcement before year end. I ask the Deputy to continue to keep in contact with her local authority because local authorities will be invited to bid for 2016 funding and are very much represented on that working group. I ask the Deputy to have some more patience at this point in time.

Deputy Michelle Mulherin

It was brought to my attention by a member of the Kilmurray Cordal group water scheme, which is one of the seven to which I referred. It has received notification from the Companies Registration Office that it will be struck off for failing to file returns. These people have already spent approximately €56,000 from their own funding and part of that was to employ consultants, set up a company and keep it going. They do not have money. The promoters of it are very reluctant to go around to households looking for more money when this has been going on for years. They are despondent. I will continue to press the matter with the Minister of State and I trust that some hope is given to these people as we look towards the new year.

Deputy Ann Phelan

I do understand. These types of projects have been discussed by the working group. It is a matter for prioritisation and I again ask the Deputy to have a little more patience. We expect to be in a position towards the end of the year to deal with some of the projects to which she referred.

Local Authority Housing Provision

Mick Wallace

Ceist:

7. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to introduce specific measures targeted at increasing the capacity of local authorities to build social housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44125/15]

Deputy Mick Wallace

At this stage, most people would agree that the core of our housing problem is the lack of local authority social housing units. Until we decide to target the delivery of more local authority social housing new builds, we will continue to have a housing problem. Is the Government prepared to take more direct action to address the problem?

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I thank the Deputy for his question. I reiterate that the Government has firmly put local authorities back at the heart of social housing provision, something that some would argue was abdicated to some degree over recent years. The Social Housing Strategy 2020, which is very ambitious, has targeted the provision of 35,000 new units and these will be delivered by local authorities either directly or through working with approved housing bodies.

The strategy has been supported by two successive budgets with €1.7 billion allocated to social housing. Overall, almost €3 billion in capital funding will be provided in support of the social housing strategy through the Government's capital plan, Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021. This commitment of ongoing financial support has allowed the Minister and I to allocate €500 million to local authorities and approved housing bodies for 2,900 social housing new builds and acquisitions to be delivered between now and 2017.

Since the publication of the social housing strategy, my Department has intensified its engagement with local authorities, ensuring their capacity and preparedness for delivery of the ambitious targets to 2020. Around 400 new local authority housing posts have been approved by my Department to support the housing programme. I have also ensured there is a practical and fair cost recoupment arrangement in place in order that local authorities can fund the additional posts.

The Minister and I have met the CEOs and directors of housing of all local authorities to ensure they have the support they need to deliver on the strategy. As a result of these engagements, the capital project approval process has been jointly reviewed by local authorities and my Department to ensure it is as efficient and streamlined as possible commensurate with the requirements of the public spending code.

Of course, the capacity of local authorities to deliver social housing is not limited to its executive. We are dependent on local authority elected members who must support social housing provision on the ground, especially through the various Part VIII projects that are coming through the planning process. As I said to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I urge all Deputies in this House to be aware of the approvals that have been made for local authorities for social housing programmes in their local areas and to ensure they are supported not just financially but politically because I agree we need to deliver these as soon as possible.

Deputy Mick Wallace

When the Government talks about figures, it is difficult to see the clarity. It always talks about local authorities and approved housing bodies. I honestly think we must be specific and say we need local authority social housing. How many local authority social housing new builds were delivered in the past four years and how many will be delivered up to 2020? I know of a Roma family with four children under four years of age who are looking for a house in Wexford. They cannot get private rented accommodation. The local authority does not have a unit to give to them. It is not possible. One can say there is no appetite for it at local authority level. There is a serious lack of funding there. We have a substantial problem and unless there is a will and an ideology that favours the local authority again playing that major role in providing social housing, we will continue to have this problem.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

Government sets the policy and strategy nationally for social housing and we have set out a very clear strategy up to 2020 that has ambitious targets for all local authorities. However, we are not just putting in the strategy. We are putting in the funding as well. We have already committed funding. In the past two budgets, we put our money where our mouth is, so to speak, and if we are returned, we will continue to do that.

The ball now moves back to the local authorities. I will be fair to them and say in their defence that they have been denuded of their housing and planning staff over the past ten years. They lost many staff. We are now ramping up and building capacity and have added 400 additional posts, 182 of which are administration posts to deal with procurement and tendering. In addition, 206 technical posts have been approved. We need to move from strategy and funding into the delivery phase. Deputy Wallace will know as a builder that it takes time to build. I was also in the building trade for more than 20 years. We need to acquire the sites, get planning permission and have tenders to get the builders on site. That process is under way. We are beginning to see the diggers going on site. I have seen them in Dolphin's Barn and other regeneration sites and hope to see many more over the coming months.

Deputy Mick Wallace

NAMA has nominated Cerberus as the preferred bidder for Project Arrow. The deal has not yet gone through so I do not understand why the Government does not take some of the built units which are ready for use. I can live with the idea of the developer providing 10% of the units instead of 20% because it would be particularly difficult for small builders to finance it if they provide 20% and lose money. Of the 90% that the builder retains for the private sector, the State should buy a large chunk to give to the local authorities for social housing. It would make a massive difference. It is not good enough that NAMA is building 20,000 units in the Dublin area in the next few years and only 2,000 of them are going to social housing. The State should buy more of them and give them to the local authorities. The waiting list in Dublin increased to 21,592 in July 2015, which is a 25% increase from July 2014. This is a major problem. We need local authority social housing units.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

To be fair to all Deputies present, I acknowledge that we are all trying to find solutions and quicker ways of delivering social housing. I assure the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Kelly, and I are pursuing every avenue available to us to increase the number of available houses. Deputy Wallace was not here earlier when, in response to other Deputies, I made the point that initially NAMA identified more than 6,000 properties for social housing which it offered to local authorities and approved housing bodies. For various reasons, 2,500 of those were taken up and are in the process of being delivered for social housing. A large chunk of them, for one reason or another, were declined. I do not know if they were the wrong size or in the wrong place. It was the housing authorities that declined them, not the Government. It is important to note that.

On top of that, any projects that have been prioritised by local authorities, are ready to go and are shovel ready have been approved for funding. Some have completed the planning process while others are going through it. Unfortunately, some of them are meeting barriers at local level because of opposition to some of the Part VIII applications. We need to see those getting over the line in order that tendering can take place and the builders can be on site. It is noticeable that sites throughout the country are beginning to open. One of the most noticeable ones I have seen is the Dolphin Barn's regeneration project on the canal in Dublin. At long last, we are seeing the diggers there knocking down the old flat complexes to allow for the regeneration of that area. That is only one example. There are more than 200 such projects under way.

Private Residential Tenancies Board

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

8. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the new deposit retention scheme will come into operation after the residential tenancies Bill has been enacted; if this will be a custodial model fully operated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board or if it will be an agency that outsources some of the operation of the scheme; and what level of increase in staff, expertise and resources the board will require to manage this scheme and to undertake its enhanced adjudication role in disputes between landlords and tenants. [44122/15]

Deputy Barry Cowen

One element of the recent Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2015 was the new deposit retention scheme. I welcome that element of the Bill because it is long overdue. I was surprised to learn since its passage that it could be up to 18 months before that element of the Bill comes into force. I would like the Minister of State to comment on that and explain the reasons for what appears to be an undue delay.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I acknowledge that the Deputy welcomes the deposit protection scheme because it is a scheme that has been long called for. I am glad we were able to legislate to allow for that recently in both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2015 was enacted on 4 December 2015 and provides for the establishment of a tenancy deposit protection scheme. Under the scheme, landlords will lodge tenancy deposits with the PRTB at the same time that they register the tenancy. The PRTB will hold these deposits for the duration of the tenancy and will retain the interest generated on the deposit funds to fund the cost of operating the scheme. At the end of the tenancy, where there is agreement, the deposit will be repaid to the tenant. Where there is disagreement, the parties may apply to the PRTB for dispute resolution. The scheme will be a custodial scheme, operated by the PRTB. It is likely that the PRTB will outsource aspects of scheme administration in much the same way as it outsources its registration functions.

The deposit protection scheme provisions of the Act will be commenced as soon as the necessary conditions are in place to support its roll-out. These will include changes to the supporting information technology and contracts with outsourced project partners, where appropriate. The establishment of the scheme will be a major project and the priority for 2016 will be the necessary planning and procurement activities associated with its set up. It is expected that the scheme will be operational later in 2016 or early in 2017. Until the scheme is operational and ready to go live, there will be no change in the administration of tenancy deposits under the Act.

My Department is working closely with the PRTB in the planning process and is preparing for the scheme, including the necessary resources for its effective implementation. Exchequer funding of €1.2 million was provided in budget 2016 to cover the costs of scheme set-up and development, including IT development costs, system analysis and design and build costs. Additional staff resources for the PRTB were approved in the context of the Government’s recent announcement on a package of measures for rent stability and housing supply. My Department continues to keep the resources available to the PRTB under close review and engages regularly with the board on this matter.

Deputy Barry Cowen

I thank the Minister of State for his response and the great detail he went into to describe the various aspects of the scheme which he acknowledged that I welcome. It has been a long time in the offing and a long time being called for from this side of the House. That being the case, I had hoped and presumed that the preparatory work for its enactment would have allowed for it to be put into practice much sooner than is anticipated. I am quite surprised and disappointed by the Minister of State's answer, which clarifies what I have been told elsewhere, that it could be 2017 before that section of the legislation comes into force. I had feared it was because of the lack of resources and available staff in the PRTB. The Minister of State alluded to the fact that funding has been provided in the budget for preparatory work and that staffing is not an issue. I am at pains to understand why, despite us and others calling for this for the past two or three years and despite the legislation being in place, it could be two years before the section is in force.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I acknowledge the Deputy's concerns but we should acknowledge the practicality of the situation. The PRTB has substantially improved its efficiency in latter years and has introduced new IT systems to deal with its database and tenancy registration. This new deposit protection scheme is a substantial body of work. If one considers the number of deposits of each registered tenant, there is a system behind that to ensure full compliance and proper management of the registration system. It will require additional resources to set it up and procure the necessary support and staffing systems that support all that. In the context of the Government's publication in November of Stabilising Rents, Boosting Supply, as I said to the Deputy previously, sanction for a further five staff to establish the deposit protection scheme and three staff to administer the new rent stability arrangements were secured. Those staff were only recruited recently to deal specifically with the establishment of this new scheme. I assure the Deputy that we will roll it out as soon as is practically possible.

Deputy Barry Cowen

I again acknowledge the commitment and effort of the Minister to advance this but, unfortunately, the consequences of the 50% reduction in staff numbers within the PRTB since the Government came into office are plain to see across a wide range of issues.

Perhaps, more specifically, it appears obvious the staff were not in place to do the preparatory work necessary for this element of the legislation to come into force much sooner. It is very disappointing that it could be up to two years before the scheme is in place.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

The reduction in staff to which the Deputy refers was entirely attributable to the introduction of new IT systems to deal with tenancy registration and the database within the PRTB. The Deputy will know that registration was dealt with initially using hard copies, which was inefficient, cumbersome and labour intensive. With the new IT systems, it was found the process did not need to be as labour intensive. It was far more efficient and streamlined. The introduction of the deposit protection scheme, which I am glad the Deputy has welcomed, will send a signal to the rental market and landlords that tenancies will be secure. There will be more certainty as tenants transfer from one tenancy to another. That is all very important. I assure the Deputy that the additional staff have been appointed. A practical process must now be commenced to establish the new scheme. This requires a substantial body of work, and we will deliver on it as soon as practicable.

Housing Issues

Charlie McConalogue

Ceist:

9. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the investigation panel to examine the mica issue will be set up and functioning, its terms of reference and when it will report its findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44136/15]

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

As the Minister of State knows, many hundreds of householders are affected by crumbling houses and defects in the blocks used in those houses. When will the panel to investigate the issue relating to mica be set up and functioning? What are its terms of reference? Importantly, when will it report its findings? Could the Minister of State update the House and assure the many affected householders that this problem will be dealt with as promptly as possible according to a timeline?

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I thank the Deputy for raising this because it is very serious and concerns me greatly. As the Deputy knows, I visited Donegal earlier this year with the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, and met the mica action group and many affected householders. I acknowledge their current distress.

While building defects are, in the first instance, matters for resolution between the relevant contracting parties, I recently announced my intention to establish an expert group to investigate the problems that have emerged in the concrete blockwork of certain dwellings in both Donegal and Mayo to assist the parties directly affected in reaching a satisfactory resolution to their difficulties. The small group, which will have a strong technical background, will be set up to establish, in so far as it is possible, the number of affected dwellings in Donegal and Mayo, the root cause of the problems, and the technical solutions for remediation. In this regard, the expert group will have the following terms of reference: to identify, in so far as it is possible, the numbers of private dwellings which appear to be affected by defects in the blockwork in the counties of Donegal and Mayo; to carry out a desktop study, which would include a consultation process with affected homeowners, public representatives, local authorities, product manufacturers, building professionals, testing laboratories, industry stakeholders and other relevant parties, to establish the nature of the problem in the affected dwellings; to outline a range of technical options for remediation and the means by which those technical options could be applied; and to submit a report by 31 May 2016.

Arrangements are now under way within my Department to identify a suitable chair for the expert group, and nominations will be sought shortly from a number of professional bodies for suitable persons to participate on the group. Once established, the expert group will decide upon the means by which it will carry out it investigations, including the means by which it will interact with affected homeowners on the issues concerned.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the announcement that an expert panel is to be established to ascertain what exactly is causing the cracks in the houses, assess what kinds of remedies might exist and establish the number of householders affected. I acknowledge that the Minister of State visited some of the houses that are affected in order to understand the impact of the problem at first hand and how it progresses, in addition to the impact on the many affected families.

Progress has been unduly slow in the context of reaching this point. It is two years since the issue first came to the attention of the Department. I have raised it in the Dáil several times with the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Kelly, and I emphasised the importance of setting up the expert panel. Doing so is the first step necessary if the issue is to be addressed. It is welcome, nonetheless, that this is now happening.

Is the Minister of State confident that a full report on the work of the expert panel will be completed by 21 May 2016? What is the position of the Government on redress for home owners who may not be able to obtain assistance in any other way to address the problems with their homes?

Deputy Paudie Coffey

It is important that the expert panel be constructed properly and have the expertise necessary to deal with and investigate the problem comprehensively. The Deputy will accept and agree with that. I expect the chairperson to have considerable experience in communications, negotiation and other fields relating to solving complex problems. This is a very complex problem in so far as it affects families. I have met the families and noted they are very distressed. We need to have a structural engineer and geologist, and possibly a standards expert, on the panel to identify the problem.

Although the Deputy might legitimately be critical of the delay in setting up the expert panel, he should note that I have been engaging continuously on this matter since it was first brought to my attention. One of the first steps I took was to visit the affected houses to see them at first hand. I personally asked the Irish Concrete Federation and other bodies to determine whether they would mediate with some of the suppliers we believe were involved. Some progress was made in this regard initially but then everything just stopped, unfortunately, and there was no further progress. There were efforts to assist in the normal way through mediation and other means. The decision on the expert panel has now been taken, as acknowledged and welcomed by the Deputy. The panel will investigate the problem properly and advise the Minister and make recommendations to him on the next course of action.

I cannot speculate on redress, as the Deputy will acknowledge. The builders' and suppliers' products that may be defective need to be analysed in the first instance.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue

I acknowledge that the Minister of State has been in office for a relatively short period. Since he took on his role, he has certainly engaged by visiting County Donegal and inspecting the affected homes. There was a delay prior to this, that is, from the moment the problem was initially raised and when it became clear that something needed to be done to address the matter.

A number of householders whose problem has already worsened to a great extent have already taken remedial action to stymie the progression of the cracking in their homes. The issue of financial assistance arises for them because many have got into very difficult circumstances by consequence of having done work already without knowing what assistance might become available. There are many who may not be able to wait and who may need to take action in the meantime. Could the Minister of State comment on this?

From a number of tests carried out by homeowners, it seems the primary problem is muscovite mica in the blocks. However, it is important for the Minister of State to be aware that a recent test result indicated the presence of pyrite, certainly in one home. However, there has been only one case of pyrite so far. Is the Minister of State confident that the report will be finalised by 21 May 2016?

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I thank the Deputy again for raising these important issues. Anywhere that building defects are found, it is a matter for resolution, in the first instance, between the contracting parties, including the builders and product suppliers. I am conscious that there is a trend indicating building defects in Donegal and Mayo. I am not an expert in the field but I know some preliminary tests have been carried out privately by individuals who have found issues that need to be addressed. The Government and I made the decision to establish the expert panel so we could investigate and analyse the problem properly and produce a report for the Minister.

I cannot speculate beyond that, although I expect the report to be comprehensive and completed by 31 May 2016. At that point, we will decide what action we can take. Someone must be held accountable for building defects and that person must be identifiable. The type of investigation and analysis we have initiated will, I hope, assist those who are stressed because their properties are affected by defects. I am prepared to work with everyone involved. The expert panel is being established and I have put out a call to the relevant professional bodies. Let us wait for the panel to report back to us.

Rental Accommodation Scheme Eligibility

Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceist:

10. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to lift the restriction in the rental accommodation scheme which requires applicants to be in receipt of rent allowance to allow those in low-paid work to access the scheme, as the housing assistance payment has not been rolled out across all local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44132/15]

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

We had news again today that rents continue to spiral out of control, which will result in more evictions and make it more difficult for people to secure private rented accommodation. My question relates to a measure the Government could take to prevent evictions. I refer to circumstances where a tenant is working and his or her landlord wishes to raise the rent but is willing to enter into an arrangement with the local authority under the rental accommodation scheme. In such cases, the tenant may not enter the scheme because local authorities will not allow people to transfer to the scheme unless they are in receipt of rent allowance, even though persons who are in the scheme may work subsequently. This is a crazy anomaly. If the Government were to change the rental accommodation scheme to allow landlords who are willing to engage with the scheme to do so, it would prevent people who are working from being evicted.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. The rental accommodation scheme, RAS, is a social housing scheme which has two key objectives, namely, the elimination of dependence on rent supplement by persons assessed as being qualified for and in need of social housing support, and the enhancement of the position of local authorities to respond to social housing need. As such, RAS is a social housing support targeted at those already in receipt of rent supplement and I have no plans to change that.

The Government's social housing strategy recognises that the rental accommodation scheme continues to be a successful programme which has achieved considerable output levels to date and delivered quality housing to a large number of households. Over the lifetime of the strategy, an additional 6,000 households are targeted to transfer from rent supplement to RAS.

As noted by the Deputy, the housing assistance payment, HAP, will, over time, provide for the transfer of responsibility for rent supplement recipients with a long-term housing need from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities. Similar to the rental accommodation scheme, the housing assistance payment will facilitate the removal of a potential barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment.

The HAP scheme is being rolled out incrementally and is currently operational in 18 local authority areas. Some 1,940 of more than 5,400 households accommodated through HAP were in receipt of rent supplement when they transferred to the scheme. I am committed to the continued roll-out of HAP and to increasing the number of transfers from rent supplement in 2016. In that regard, I expect some 10,000 additional households, including rent supplement transfers, to be accommodated through HAP next year. In the meantime, until such time as HAP becomes operational in the remaining local authority areas, rent supplement will continue to be available to those households requiring support in meeting their housing needs in the rental market.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Minister of State said he would do everything he could to prevent homelessness. I have cited a specific scenario, examples of which will increase as rents continue to spiral. I have encountered a number of these cases. People who are working and living in private rented accommodation for which the landlord is seeking to increase the rent are being unnecessarily evicted because local authorities are precluded, under the terms of the rental accommodation scheme, from allowing such tenants to transfer into the scheme. This is despite the fact that persons who transfer to RAS are allowed to work. In the cases I have highlighted, the landlords are willing to enter the rental accommodation scheme. Given that most local authorities do not operate the housing assistance payment, it is no good for the Minister of State to be telling us that the HAP is coming down the line. It is crazy that the Minister has not issued an instruction to local authorities to accept cases where the landlord of a tenant who happens to be working is willing to enter a lease arrangement with the local authority. This simple measure would prevent tenants being put out on the street.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

All of us are working towards trying to keep people in their homes. Threshold and other agencies have a tenancy sustainment protocol which provides that, irrespective of a person's circumstances, he or she cannot be evicted at the whim of a landlord or as a result of a rent increase. As the Deputy will be aware, the recent package of rent measures we introduced brings an element of stability which will help to protect many of the tenants to whom he refers.

I would not dismiss the housing assistance payment scheme as quickly as the Deputy did.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The scheme is not available in many areas.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

While I appreciate it is not in place in the Deputy's area, it is being rolled out in tranches of six or seven local authorities at a time. It will be a nationwide scheme once it has been rolled out to the remaining local authorities.

The rent supplement is essentially a short-term payment for people who need it. It was never intended to be a long-term support. The Deputy dismisses the housing assistance payment because the scheme is not available in his local area. The HAP is part of the strategy the Government is pursuing and we want to introduce it in the Deputy's local authority area. It will have the additional benefit of ensuring people continue to receive support from the State, even when they secure full-time employment. The measures the Government has taken to help sustain tenancies and keep people in their homes should be acknowledged. Tenants cannot be evicted at the whim of a landlord, as the Deputy suggested.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I am not dismissing the HAP scheme. While I am not terribly happy with it, my point is that it is ridiculous to operate it in some local authorities and not in others. As a result of the failure of the Government to instruct local authorities to make a deal with landlords who are willing to enter an arrangement with them, tenants are being put out on the street. All I am asking is that an administrative change is made. There is nothing to prevent the Minister making this change to prevent people from being put out. It is a ridiculous anomaly that people who are working are being evicted, even though under the terms of the rental accommodation scheme, a recipient may remain in the scheme after he or she gets a job. Councils are not allowed to sanction the transfer into the rental accommodation scheme of tenants threatened with eviction, even in cases where the landlord is willing to enter RAS, simply because the tenant is working. This is ridiculous.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

The housing authorities, namely, local councils, have a number of options available to them in terms of housing people under threat of homelessness. The Minister and I have both made direct interventions to provide additional funding to local authorities which have been presented with such cases.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

Funding is not the issue.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

All these issues are related. The Deputy is essentially arguing that people are being evicted at the whim of a landlord, which is not possible under current legislation. If someone finds himself or herself in homelessness, the local housing authority will have been funded to respond in one way or another.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Minister of State does not understand the question.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

I do understand it. We are extending the housing assistance payment and we will, in time, eliminate the rental accommodation scheme. The HAP scheme is a long-term supplement to assist people to retain their tenancy and allow them to remain in work where they are in employment.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I will explain the matter to the Minister of State afterwards.

Deputy Paudie Coffey

It will be rolled out to all local authorities, including the Deputy's local authority, in the coming period.

Written Answers follow Adjournment.