Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I than Ms Faughnan for her presentation. I acknowledge her staff and compliment them on the great work done by the rents unit under extreme pressure and in difficult times, with everyone shouting at them from time to time to hurry up.

In terms of engagement, my office is very complimentary of the staff of the rents unit and I would like to put that on the record. Following on from that, I would welcome Ms Faughnan's view on resources within the rents unit in the context of the current crisis in the housing area and the lengthy waiting time for approvals for rent supplement, which as I said is no fault of staff of the rents unit but can result negatively in terms of securing properties from landlords.

I would also welcome her view on the application process. Notwithstanding that there must be a proper and transparent application process in place, as stated earlier, this process is extremely lengthy in the context of the many documents to be prepared. Often when a person is accepted onto the housing list and then finds a property in respect of which the landlord is prepared to accept rent supplement, the individual is at that point required to submit all of the relevant documentation to the rents unit. However, during the time taken to process the documentation and the person securing agreement on the payment, the landlord has often received numerous other offers and he or she does not secure the property. Are there any interim measures that could be put in place to prevent this happening, such as: perhaps, allowing the person space to get the paperwork together before finding a property; or the agreement would be reviewed in cases where a property is not found within a particular timeframe? What can be done to speed up that process?

I would also like some clarification on the role of the community welfare officer in respect of emergency payments and deposits. If I understood her correctly, Ms Faughnan said that community welfare officers have the power to assist in this regard. Based on my personal experience, and having talked about this issue with colleagues, that is not the case. Community welfare officers are refusing to pay deposits to help people in emergency situations. A few months ago I secured a property on behalf of a constituent, following which I contacted the community welfare officer requesting payment of a deposit only to be told that it was not within the remit or jurisdiction of that community welfare officer to do so. We did not succeed in securing the property. I have made similar requests of the community welfare officer since then in response to which the answer was the same. I would like the role of the community welfare officer clarified for the record and also, if there is a misunderstanding in this regard, that a message in that regard be sent to all community welfare officers.

Like other Deputies, I would welcome Ms Faughnan's view on the housing assistance payment, HAP, and the rental accommodation scheme, RAS. When I raised the following issue during earlier meetings I did not get a clear answer to it, perhaps because it was not within the remit of the person concerned. The HAP scheme is good but there is a discrepancy in relation to it because it is purely tailored to people's needs. In other words, a person who needs a two bedroom unit but owing to the current scarcity of supply can only secure a three-bedroom unit, will only receive payment under the HAP scheme for a two-bedroom unit, which leaves the person having to pay a huge top-up. As stated by Deputy Quinlivan, the reality is that people are paying top-ups. If they were not, the current crisis would be greater. Given the current housing crisis, is it possible to provide for flexibility under HAP to the effect that in a situation where a person can only secure a two-bedroom unit despite that all he or she requires is a one-bedroom unit, that person will receive payment in the short to medium term?

I would also like Ms Faughnan to comment on the rental accommodation scheme. A constituent of mine who was previously homeless is now living in a two-bedroom unit in respect of which she receives the housing assistance payment. While the landlord is willing to participate in RAS to help her, she is not eligible under that scheme because she is over-accommodated. However, we are unable to secure a one-bedroom unit for her, which means she will be put out on the street. This week she will be made homeless if there is no flexibility given by the Department to the local authority to deal with this issue. In addition, is there any flexibility around the requirement for a person to have been in receipt of rent supplement for 18 months prior to his or her being eligible for participation in RAS? In another case with which I am dealing, we have secured a property but the landlord only wants RAS tenants. However, the person concerned is not eligible for it because she has not previously been in receipt of rent supplement. I would welcome Ms Faughnan's views on those issues.