Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I move amendment No. 32:

In page 22, after line 38, to insert the following:

“PART 6AMENDMENT OF HOUSING (MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS) ACT 2009

Amendment of section 31 of Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009

37. Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 is amended by substituting the following for subsection (1):

"(1) This section applies to a dwelling provided under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014 or Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000—

(a) of which the housing authority is the owner,

(b) of which the housing authority is not the owner and which is provided under a contract or lease between the housing authority

and the owner of the dwelling, including a rental accommodation availability agreement, or

(c) in respect of which housing assistance is being provided under Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014.".".

Amendment No. 32 substitutes a new subsection (1) for section 31(1) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 which relates to local authority rent schemes and charges. The amendment confirms that section 31 applies to dwellings that are the subject of financial support under the new housing assistance payment, otherwise known as the HAP scheme, as well as to dwellings owned by a housing authority and dwellings leased or contracted by a housing authority, including rental accommodation scheme dwellings.

Subsection 2 of section 31 already provides that a reference to rent in section 31 includes a reference to the rent contribution payable to a housing authority by a housing assistance payment beneficiary. Furthermore, under subsection (6)(a) of section 31, the Minister may prescribe the rent contribution payable by a HAP beneficiary during the limited transitional period for local authority rents that follows the introduction of rent charging under section 31. The amendment is proposed to remove any possible doubt that section 31 of the 2009 Act applies to dwellings in respect of which HAP is being provided.

Amendment No. 38 is a technical amendment, consequential on amendment No. 32, which amends the Long Title of the Bill.