Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support for eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have access to accommodation from any other source. There are approximately 86,000 recipients of rent supplement, of whom approximately 54,000 have been in receipt of the supplement for over 18 months. The Government has provided over €403 million for the scheme in 2013. This approval was based on details of the scheme being developed further and implementation being informed by an economic assessment.

In March 2012 the Government approved in principle the transfer of responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to persons with a long-term housing need from my Department to housing authorities using a new housing assistance payment, HAP. This approval was based on details of the scheme being developed further and implementation being informed by an economic assessment. Officials in my Department are working closely with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to assist with the necessary work required to initiate HAP including the completion of the economic assessment. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has advised that it plans to carry out a detailed business planning exercise which will further inform the Government as to the level of resources required. Details of the necessary budget required for HAP, including that which will be transferred from my Department, will be identified following the completion of these exercises.

There are no plans to transfer staff from my Department to housing authorities in order to administer the scheme and policy on differential rents under HAP is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. Each local authority operates differential rent schemes and different IT systems. This is one of the issues that must be addressed if we are to have a smooth transfer.

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