Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 November 2014
1065. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to the roll-out of the housing assistance payment in local authority areas to explain the interim arrangements in place between his Department and the Department of Social Protection with regard to assistance with private rental payments for potential HAP candidates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42183/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides for the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, the responsibility for the provision of rent support to those with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to local authorities. This will include both existing customers on the rent supplement scheme and also new customers who have been assessed by the local authority as having a housing need.
Under the new arrangements, new customers assessed by the local authority as having a housing need will apply for housing support under HAP rather than rent supplement. Households that are currently in receipt of long term rent supplement and who also qualify for social housing support will be gradually transferred from rent supplement to HAP during the implementation phase of the scheme. HAP is currently available in 7 local authority areas as part of a statutory pilot of the scheme – the areas concerned are Limerick and Waterford City and County Councils, and Cork, Louth, Monaghan, South Dublin and Kilkenny County Councils . Roll out to the remaining local authorities is scheduled to begin on a phased basis in 2015.
During the pilot phase, the Department of Social Protection will continue to provide assistance to households in the local authority areas where HAP has not yet been introduced. Once HAP has been fully rolled out to all local authority areas, rent supplement will be available through the Department of Social Protection for eligible households who are already in the private rented sector and who, generally because of a loss of income through unemployment or otherwise, require short term income support in order to pay their rent. Rent supplement will therefore, over time, return to its original purpose of being a short-term income support payment.
