Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 February 2017
26. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether changes to the housing assistance payment could be beneficial in tackling the housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9042/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a key Government priority and the accelerated roll-out of the scheme on a national basis is an important early action for completion in the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.
At this time, HAP is available to all households who qualify for social housing support in 28 local authority areas, with over 18,000 households currently being supported by the scheme. The final phased implementation of the HAP scheme will be completed with the scheme being made available to all qualified households in the administrative areas of Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council areas from 1 March 2017, subject to the necessary regulations being in place. Since February 2015, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) is also managing a HAP Homeless Pilot for the four Dublin local authorities. The focus of this pilot remains the transitioning of qualified households from emergency accommodation, including hotels, into private rented tenancies.
The statutory phased roll- out of the HAP scheme has proved to be an effective approach. In this context, my Department maintains regular contact with the local authorities in order to learn from their experience of the scheme, and to address operational issues as they arise.
The Government increased the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) (and Rent Supplement) rent limits in every local authority area, taking account of geographic variations in market rents, with effect from 1 July 2016, meeting its stated commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government and in Rebuilding Ireland. Furthermore, additional flexibility above the existing HAP rent limits was made available to all local authorities operating HAP from the same date. These changes have had the effect of providing further targeted supports to those households in most need; providing prospective HAP recipients with access to a greater number of properties in the market; and reducing the number of households falling into homelessness.
The HAP Shared Services Centre manages the collection of all HAP tenants’ differential rents, on behalf of the relevant local authority, and the payment of all HAP rents to landlords on behalf of tenants supported by the HAP scheme. Monthly HAP payments are made directly to landlords on behalf of tenants in respect of rent, subject to rent limits and the conditions of the scheme.
The HAP scheme is a demand led scheme funded through a combination of Exchequer funding and tenant differential rents. The provisional Exchequer outturn for the HAP scheme in 2016 was in excess of €57 million. This funding supported both the on-going costs of tenancies established in 2015 that continued into 2016, and the costs of the 12,075 additional households supported by the scheme nationally in 2016. Some €14 million of these costs related to tenancies established in the four Dublin local authority areas. Budget 2017 has increased the Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme to €152.7 million, in order to meet the continuing costs of existing HAP households, and the costs of supporting an additional 15,000 households to be supported by HAP in 2017.
My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review. However, I am satisfied with how the HAP scheme is operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme under Rebuilding Ireland.
