Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In the way it grew the rent supplement scheme was meant for people in employment who lost their jobs suddenly and could no longer afford to pay their rent because they had no wages. The scheme then migrated, particularly during the period of office of the Deputy's Government, to provide a general catch-all housing supplement which, as the Deputy noted, was far removed from what had been intended originally. The Government is now returning it to what it was meant to be originally, namely, a short-term temporary payment. On the other hand, that requires local authorities throughout the country to update and revise their differential rent schemes.

There are at least 66 separate computer systems in different local authorities dealing with housing. If the Deputy thinks about the amount and variety of local authority accommodation available, the age of the people involved, the size and composition of the families, there are many variables and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government would like the Department of Social Protection to deduct that rent at source. We can only do that if the different local authorities can nominate to us the correct amount of the rent to be deducted. As the Deputy knows, local authorities have built up significant arrears difficulties, many of which have nothing to do with people on rent supplement but they have been anxious to see the Department of Social Protection help people to pay their rent by direct deduction at source through the Department. That, however, is a very onerous requirement whereby we will have to work out the IT involved. There is huge work going on in that respect.

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