Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 October 2014
170. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the actions she will take to ensure that landlords accept tenants who are in receipt of rent supplement; if her attention has been drawn to the high number of persons refused tenancy as a result of their receiving of rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40232/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra183. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent to which rent supplement levels remain an issue in the context of homelessness; if she and her Department may enter into arrangements with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with a view to ameliorating measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40369/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions 170 and 183 together.
The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. There are approximately 73,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.
I am acutely aware of the difficulties people are experiencing in maintaining affordable rented accommodation, including those in receipt of rent supplement, in the current market, particularly in areas of high demand. Raising rent limits may not be the solution to the problem as it is likely to add to further rental inflation and impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers and students. I plan to keep the matter under close review.
Analysis shows that the impact of increasing limits at this time will yield only a very marginal increase in available supply for rent supplement recipients with the only certainty that raising limits will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to new recipients.
I can assure the Deputies that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have considerable experience in dealing with customers and will continue to make every effort to ensure that their accommodation needs are met. Discretionary powers are available to staff to award a supplement for rental purposes in exceptional cases where it appears that the circumstances of the case so warrant. A notice reminding staff of their statutory discretionary power to award a supplement for rental purposes in exceptional cases, for example, when dealing with applicants who are at risk of losing their tenancy was circulated earlier this year.
In light of a particular concentration of the homelessness problem in the Dublin area, the Department has agreed a tenancy sustainment protocol with the Dublin local authorities and voluntary organisations so that families on rent supplement who are at risk of losing their accommodation can have more timely and appropriate interventions made on their behalf. Since the launch of this protocol in mid-June 2014, over 150 families have had their rent supplement claims revised by the Department.
Increasing housing supply and the reactivation of the construction activity is a critical issue for Government and is key to restoring stability to the rental market. The Government has recently launched its Construction Strategy 2020.
As part of Budget 2015, Government has also announced significant capital investment of over €2.2 billion for social housing for the next three years. In 2014, over €800 million will be invested in a range of housing programmes which represents the first major investment in housing since 2009. An additional €10.5 million will be provided for accommodation and related services for homeless persons, increasing the annual expenditure for tackling homelessness to €55.5 million next year.
My colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly T.D., is also due to publish a Social Housing Strategy shortly. This will propose a range of approaches and reforms that are innovative and challenging and will provide a basis for an improved and sustainable approach to the provision of social housing supports in Ireland.
Finally, it is clearly my preference that a person in receipt of rent supplement should not be refused accommodation due to the fact that they are receiving support from the State. The fact that approximately 73,500 people are in receipt of rent supplement, of which some 16,500 were awarded this year, shows that a significant number of persons are being accommodated under the scheme. My position on this matter has been advised to the two larger property website owners in terms of their advertising, following which, one subsequently removed the reference to rent supplement on their website. Officials in the Department are also engaging with those in the Department of Justice and Equality in regard to this issue.
