Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with previous speakers on the housing assistance payment. Things need to be clarified. The HAP forms go to the landlord and then to Cork, because it has left local authorities. I have massive issues with that. All the HAP applications should be left with the 31 local authorities. When put on the HAP, there was a question on the form asking if the applicant wanted to stay on the housing list. That was on the form but many people did not understand it and did not fill it in. There was massive confusion and that needs to be sorted.

The other issue is the cap. Many people are becoming homeless because of the cap. They are not qualifying. We all want to welcome the €45 million going into the hubs in Dublin. That is fine and it is welcome. Everyone needs a home. However, it is necessary to qualify to get the benefit of rent control. A list was made recently in respect of rent control. Carlow-Kilkenny is my area. Most of us do not qualify. That is unreal. We are putting hubs in the cities, which is fine and I have no problem with the €45 million going into that. However, we need to examine the rural areas and say that they should be put into the rent control categories. What is happening is resulting in a divide. Rural areas are being forgotten and the focus is on the hubs, Dublin and the cities. The Department needs to look at other areas.

I have massive issues with the housing list. As the witnesses know, many people do not qualify for the housing list if they already have a home. However, if their home is repossessed and the house is sold, it takes a long time to get that sorted. If the person's name is still on that house, although he or she is not in it because the bank has taken it or it is up for sale and the person is renting somewhere else, he or she is not able to go on the housing list because his or her name is on another house.

We are making people homeless. We have the cap and they do not qualify to go on the housing list. We have people whose houses, through no fault of their own, are being repossessed by the bank. The process is so long that they are not qualifying to go on the housing list. Furthermore, they are not qualifying for rent allowance because the Department is now taking away the rent allowance that used to help those who did not qualify to go on the housing list. I have massive issues with that.

We were delighted to have the Minister in Carlow over a month ago. I was not at the meeting, although I am highlighting it. He announced more than 100 houses. Some of them are co-operative houses and some of them are local authority houses and I welcome that. However, the problem is that a sod has not been turned in a month and there is no timescale. We knew about these projects a year ago but the Minister announced them a month ago. We cannot get a timescale. What I am saying is that all the money we are told is there is not coming through to local authorities. That is why local authorities are not able to do the work they have to do. The powers need to be given back to the local authorities. They need to build more housing and we need to ensure that happens as I do not think it is happening.

To return to the rental accommodation scheme, which is similar to the housing assistance payment-----