Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

We need a mechanism to ensure landlords pay tax on whatever they receive through rent supplement. I made this point in my contribution on amendment No. 13 and it is no harm to reiterate it. I am not convinced this issue is being dealt with sufficiently. We must ensure under-the-counter payments are not made. They are being made at present. Even Focus Ireland cited examples of where tenants are paying their landlords a little bit more than what is required. Focus Ireland even cited instances of community welfare officers assisting tenants to pay more than what was required so the tenants would not end up homeless.

While this practice is occurring and must be dealt with, I do not believe this amendment is the way to proceed, for the simple reason that it is important that the tenant be able to manage his money and income himself. The responsibility associated with receiving an allowance and paying it to a landlord develops good money-management habits. It is important that the tenant have this sense of freedom and a sense of paying his way. However, I understand what the amendment is trying to achieve and I ask the Minister to ensure landlords are not accepting extra payments from tenants. The tenants simply cannot afford to be making them.

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