Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 June 2015
9. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of applications for an uplift in rent supplement that have been received in 2015 to date; the number granted; the number refused; and of those refused, the reasons provided for the refusal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24815/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 2011 the Government has slashed significantly the total amounts of rent supplement. The tenancy sustainable protocol in January was welcome and has helped. The previous reply we got in the House from the Minister stated that 500 families had been uplifted at that time. That was a few weeks ago. However, I would like to know the numbers of those who were refused. The Minister did not recognise that the Department did not have a legal leg to stand on in relation to uplifts and market rents, which is why the sustainability protocol emerged. Making a family homeless through lack of support of rent supplement was not an option to the Minister, even though she slashed it by hundreds of millions of euro in the past four years.
Deputy Broughan needs to go back and check his figures.
Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 68,000 people at an annual cost of €298 million. Over 5,600 claims have been awarded in 2015, of which almost 1,600 are in Dublin.
In response to the current market difficulties, the Department has implemented preventative measures under rent supplement to provide for flexibility in assessing customers' individual accommodation needs through the National Tenancy Sustainment Framework. The framework applies both to existing rent supplement customers and also to new applicants who qualify for the scheme. Under this approach, tenants' circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis and rents are being increased above prescribed limits throughout the country as appropriate. Notices have issued to community welfare service staff, twice within the past 12 month period, reminding them of their discretionary power to award a supplement for rental purposes. The Department is also working with Threshold's tenancy sustainment service in Dublin and Cork city where supply is most acute.
This flexible approach has already assisted over 2,100 rent supplement households nationwide to retain their rented accommodation through the payment of increased rent payments. A divisional breakdown of this figure is provided in the following tabular statement. Statistics are not maintained regarding the total number of applications made for increased payments or their outcome. However, where community welfare service staff are notified of a potential threat of tenancy loss due to rising rents, flexibility is provided where the uplift request is reasonable and in line with local rents for similar properties.
The Department has also undertaken a communications campaign which seeks to encourage tenants at risk to contact the Department or the Threshold tenancy protection service as early as possible.
I can assure the Deputy that I am keeping the Department's response under review to ensure that the necessary supports continue to be provided.
Increased Rental Payments by Division – 15 June 2015
|
Division |
Awards under National Tenancy Sustainment Framework |
Awards under protocol with Threshold |
Awards under Rent Supp. Initiative |
Total no. of increased payments by Division |
|
North East |
6 |
6 |
||
|
South East |
10 |
10 |
||
|
Midlands South |
315 |
315 |
||
|
Mid-West |
52 |
52 |
||
|
Cork Central |
45 |
21 |
66 |
|
|
North West |
19 |
19 |
||
|
West |
28 |
28 |
||
|
Mid Leinster |
58 |
58 |
||
|
South West |
25 |
25 |
||
|
Midlands North |
128 |
128 |
||
|
Dublin North/Dublin South/Dublin Central |
658 |
698 |
84 |
1,436 |
|
Overall Total |
1,344 |
719 |
84 |
2,147 |
The core part of the Minister of State's response, about delays in helping people to avoid homelessness, does not answer my question. He states there are no statistics. The biggest failure of this Government by far has been housing. As I said to the Taoiseach here a couple of weeks ago, and as both of the Ministers at the Department will be aware, every Thursday and Friday evening the homeless unit in Parkgate Street is completely under siege. Each weekend perhaps 70 families are not able to receive any emergency accommodation. There is no room at the inn for those families day after day, week after week. It is an intolerable situation. Some Members in this House have criticised Greece but this is a situation that mirrors or is worse than some of what is happening in Greece. We have five or six hotels completely full. We have dozens of other hotels and guest houses where many rooms are taken up with such families. The previous figures, which the Government only gave us in April last, showed that over 1,100 children and 500 families were homeless.
There has been no action on this matter. Next week a Minister will visit my constituency, Dublin Bay North, where hundreds of families are homeless, to launch a couple of dozen apartments. The Minister of State's colleague, Senator Hayden, is holding a meeting today about the deficiencies of rent supplement. Will he bring in legislation on rent regulation and at long last, before this Government ends, declare a housing emergency and introduce the equivalent of FEMPI for housing?
I do not know whether the Deputy is advocating that we go down the Greece route where there would be no social welfare or safety net to catch vulnerable people and no transfer through the Department of Social Protection to the most vulnerable.
I said that the Government was emulating Greece in this regard.
Please, the Minister of State has the floor.
The Deputy can either ask a question and get an answer or he can shout at me again, whichever he wants.
I am not getting answers.
The Deputy is well aware-----
There are no answers for homeless families.
Deputy, please. The Minister of State without interruption.
Deputy Broughan had an opportunity to stay within the Labour Party and work on solutions, but he always seemed to like opting out instead of doing that.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are opposed to rent regulation. The Minister of State knows that.
Please, stop. The Minister of State is entitled to reply.
There is no use in smiling, Tánaiste. That is the reality.
Look, Deputy-----
Just reply, please.
The Deputy asked a question and I will give him an answer.
Go ahead.
I served on Dublin City Council for long enough with Deputy Broughan. He knows the challenges of housing and homelessness that the country faces.
The Deputy well knows that there is a range of challenges that need to be addressed. To answer his specific question, he also knows well that the collapse of the construction industry has meant that virtually no houses have been built in the past six years. There was no money to do so.
I thank the Minister of State.
No, I want to say something. Deputy Broughan throws out simple solutions like "increase rent allowance". Increasing rent allowance-----
No, I asked for rent regulation.
Deputies, please.
-----will not resolve-----
I must be fair and call-----
Hold on. The Minister of State is trying to twist my words. I asked for rent regulation, but the Labour Party will not be allowed to introduce it because the majority party in government and the main party on this side are bitterly opposed to rent regulation. They represent the landlords.
Will the Deputy please ask a question? I am sorry, but our time is up. We will revert to the Minister of State then. Does the Deputy have a question?
Will the Tánaiste meet homeless people, people who are on the housing list and the national housing association and coalition in the coming weeks?
That question was not addressed to me.
No, but continue.
The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Kelly, will table proposals to the Cabinet regarding rent certainty before the summer recess.
How long will we keep hearing about that?
