Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Rent supplement is payable to people who are unable to meet the cost of renting private accommodation and is intended as a short-term income support. Currently, almost 80,000 people are in receipt of rent supplement, an increase of 34% since the end of December 2007.

Rent limits are set at levels that enable eligible households to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation. Maximum rent limits are prescribed in regulations and are time limited so that they can be adjusted in light of rent levels generally. The most recent regulations cover the period up to 31 December 2009.

Rent limits are currently being reviewed. In testing the level at which basic accommodation can be secured, the Department is informed by analysis of data on rent supplement tenancies, data provided by the Private Residential Tenancies Board on tenancies registered by it and submissions by interested statutory and non-statutory bodies, including the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The review will also be informed by the latest private rented index report to be published by the CSO in mid-March 2009.

The Government has recently approved a package of measures to update minimum standards regulations for rental accommodation. Enforcement of these standards is the responsibility of local authorities. Accommodation occupied by rent supplement tenants should at least meet minimum housing standards. Where a housing authority notifies the HSE of non-compliance with housing standards, rent supplement is not payable. Where the HSE becomes aware of accommodation that appears to be substandard it notifies the local authority of its concerns. The HSE may also advise prospective tenants that rent supplement will not be paid in respect of tenancies at the premises.

The rental accommodation scheme, RAS, which is operated by local authorities, provides access to a range of long-term, good quality housing supports for those availing of it. Details of people in receipt of rent supplement for 18 months or longer are notified to the local authorities through the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for inclusion in the schemes. This data is also used by local authorities in enforcing housing standards. Currently, 31,000 people are getting rent supplement for 18 months or longer and almost 18,000 tenants have been transferred from the rent supplement scheme to the RAS since 2005. The Department is committed to supporting local authorities in meeting their responsibilities in the enforcement of housing standards and the implementation of the RAS.

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