Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Select Committee on Social Protection
Rent Supplement Increases: Department of Social Protection
10:30 am
John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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It is just on the top-up payments and the need for landlords to come in. Ms Faughnan mentioned the rent payable in accordance with the lease. To echo the sentiments of Deputy Mitchell, I have huge concerns about that. I cannot see too many landlords coming in and saying they have been receiving under-the-table payments for the previous 12 months, five years, ten years or whatever. I live in the real world: landlords will not do that. That will have repercussions and there will be serious implications for people in getting that payment from the community welfare officer. I hope there will be discretion there. If the recipient of rent supplement cannot provide the necessary information or confirmation required by the CWO - in other words, the landlord is just not willing to play ball and come forward with that information - will that impede that recipient in attaining the higher bands? What impact will that have?