Ms Gayle Smith:

On the issue with HAP, I am on HAP myself through Dublin City Council. At the moment, the HAP cap for Dublin City Council - for normal rather than homeless HAP - is €1,250 or in and around that. There is no way you will get that in Dublin. Rent is in excess of €2,000 per month. I must top up what is paid to my landlord because as my rent has increased, the HAP section has told me it will not increase the payment. Also, there is no income disregard for HAP. If your income goes up because you have got part-time work, your rent to HAP would go up as well. There is also no allowance for, say, a lone parent with four kids. He or she would probably be paying the same rent as a single person. It is based on the income into the household not on the circumstances within the household. That in itself pushes many people into poverty.