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Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 January 2014

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Ceisteanna (135)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceist:

135. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a person (details supplied) who has recently received notification that they are ineligible for rent supplement allowance as they are in full-time education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3683/14]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are currently approximately 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.

Persons in receipt of the one-parent family payment who are attending a full time course of education but not availing of the back to education allowance (BTEA) do not have an entitlement to rent supplement. During the course of a review of their entitlement in January of this year it came to light that the person is attending a full time course of education and is not in receipt of BTEA. The person was asked to clarify their circumstances. Rent supplement was paid up to 4 January 2014, but has now ceased on the grounds that the person is attending a full time course of education. A letter issued to the person concerned formally advising them of the decision that they no longer have an entitlement to rent supplement. The course of education being pursued by the person concerned is at postgraduate (MA) level and would not ordinarily be eligible for the BTEA scheme. There is no record of the person concerned having applied for BTEA approval in respect of this course. An officer from the Department will contact the person concerned to establish whether there may be an underlying entitlement to BTEA in this case.

Question No. 136 answered with Question No. 119.
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