Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2015
593. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of the housing assistance payment scheme targets for Louth County Council for the period 2015 to 2017. [33438/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra594. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the cost to date of the roll-out of the housing assistance payment scheme in County Louth. [33439/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra595. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of landlords in the private rented sector who have signed up to the housing assistance payment scheme in County Louth; and if he will provide data by area. [33440/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra596. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide an update on the housing assistance payment scheme in County Louth; if his Department met with Louth County Council since this roll-out in October 2014; the data that has been shared between Louth County Council and his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33441/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra597. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of issues with housing assistance payments in County Louth in view of concerns expressed about difficulties securing accommodation within the rent limits set. [33442/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra598. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views that many local authorities require additional flexibility to operate the housing assistance payment scheme; if he will provide for flexibility above the previous maximum rent limits, as was negotiated with south Dublin local authorities. [33443/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra599. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the measures taken to identify sufficient stocks of suitable, affordable rental accommodation for the housing assistance payment scheme in County Louth in line with his Department's social housing strategy 2020. [33444/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra600. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied with the capacity and resources within local authorities to implement the housing assistance payment scheme; the resources and training that were put in place upon the roll-out of this scheme in each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33445/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 593 to 600, inclusive, together.
The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020. The HAP scheme removes a barrier to employment, by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment, it improves regulation of the rented accommodation being supported and it provides certainty for landlords as regards their rental income. To be eligible for HAP, a person must first apply for and be approved for social housing support by their local authority.
Under the HAP scheme, eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector, payments are made electronically directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant, and the tenancy agreement is between the HAP recipient and the private landlord.
The first phase of the statutory pilot for the HAP scheme commenced in September 2014 and has been introduced incrementally to 13 local authority areas to date-Limerick City and County Council; Waterford City and County Council; Cork, Louth, Kilkenny, South Dublin, Monaghan, Donegal, Offaly, Carlow, Clare and Tipperary County Councils; and Cork City Council. Dublin City Council is also implementing the HAP pilot scheme for homeless households in the Dublin region on behalf of all four Dublin local authorities. Consideration is currently being given to the sequencing of a further cohort of local authorities to commence HAP in the coming months.
For the purposes of the statutory pilot, Limerick City and County Council have been acting as the lead authority in respect of the HAP project and are providing a transactional shared service hub for all local authorities operating HAP during the pilot phase.
The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020 sets a target of 8,400 households to be supported by HAP by end 2015. To date, there are over 4,000 households being supported by HAP across the pilot local authority areas operating the scheme. As the HAP scheme is being rolled out on a phased pilot basis, formal targets for individual local authority area s were not set for 2015. However, projected HAP tenancies have been determined and the relevant local authorities are working to achieve these.
Each Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for staffing and organisation arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. My Department works closely with all local authorities and all have been invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate the delivery of the Social Housing Strategy. Each staffing sanction request is examined on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. My Department has sanctioned 36 posts to date to provide for the delivery of HAP across all Local Authorities.
While securing accommodation under HAP can be challenging in areas where there is a shortage of supply, the numbers of households securing accommodation nationally under HAP continues to rise, with an average of 90 new tenancies being registered each week in 2015. The maximum rent limits for different household classes that apply in each local authority where HAP has been commenced are set out in regulations and are currently based on the rent supplement limits as set out by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). In prescribing these limits, household size and prevailing rents in the relevant areas are taken into consideration. My Department works closely with DSP and monitors data which it gathers, along with data gathered by HAP pilot authorities, in relation to the rent limits applying.
In this context, I have recognised that South Dublin County Council required additional flexibility in the operation of HAP given the challenging rental market within its administrative area. Regulations were signed in July 2015 by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and myself to provide for an additional 20% flexibility above the previous maximum rent limits in South Dublin, where such flexibility is necessary in order to secure a suitable dwelling for the household concerned. My Department continues to keep this matter under active review in all HAP pilot authority areas, including Louth County Council.
In relation to the operation of HAP in the administrative area of Louth County Council, the scheme has been piloted there since 1 October 2014. There are currently 500 households being supported by HAP, with an average of 12 HAP tenancies being set-up per week in 2015. While my Department doe s not hold a detailed breakdown , by local authority, of landlords who are receiving payments on behalf of HAP households, I understand that there are some 361 landlords or agents acting on behalf of landlords currently receiving HAP payments in the administrative area of Louth County Council. The total amount paid to landlords by the HAP transactional shared service hub in respect of these tenancies to date in 2015 is €1,496,624.
Finally, my Department has also met on a regular basis with the pilot local authorities, including Louth County Council, to provide briefing in relation to the scheme and to get their feedback on operational matters. This engagement is proving invaluable as the roll out of the scheme progresses. I am pleased at how the HAP scheme is being operated within the administrative area of Louth County Council and I would like to commend the local authority on its engagement with the scheme to date.
