Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 September 2012
96. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection if a student who is in receipt of the back to education allowance can also qualify for rent allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41071/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently approximately 90,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement, for which the Government has provided €436m in 2012.
Normally, persons in full-time education do not qualify for rent supplement. However, one of the benefits to those participating in the back to education allowance scheme is that their status as a full time student does not preclude them from receiving rent supplement. This ensures that persons currently in receipt of rent supplement can access educational opportunities under the back to education allowance scheme without affecting their on-going entitlement to this payment.
Similarly, customers who have been approved a back to education allowance may be eligible for rent supplement if they had not previously been in receipt of rent supplement subject to satisfying the other qualifying conditions of the scheme.
To qualify for rent supplement a person must be residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons (or any combination of these) for a period of 183 days within the preceding 12 months of the date of claim for rent supplement. A person may also qualify for rent supplement where an assessment of housing need has been carried out within the 12 months preceding the date of claim and the person is deemed by a local authority to be eligible for and in need of social housing support. In all other cases, a person who wishes to apply for rent supplement is referred, in the first instance, for an assessment of eligibility for social housing support by a housing authority. Only when the person has been assessed as being eligible for and in need of social housing support, does the person become eligible for consideration for rent supplement.
Customers applying for rent supplement should make their application to their local departmental representative.
