Consideration is also being given to the inclusion of certain other criteria for discounts in certain circumstances while a provision for clawback is being planned for in respect of the State benefiting appropriately from any resale of purchased property. This is a worthwhile and innovative initiative deserving the support of the House.

I would like to turn to what is probably the most important and certainly the most reforming part of the Bill. Part 4 provides the statutory framework for the introduction of the housing assistance payment, HAP. This new scheme is being designed to bring all long-term social housing services provided by the State together under the local authority system. In order for a household to qualify for HAP, its qualification for social housing support will have to be determined by a housing authority through a statutory social housing assessment and the authority must be satisfied that assistance under the scheme is an appropriate form of support for that household. HAP beneficiaries will source their own accommodation in the private rented market, as currently happens with rent supplement, and will enter into a tenancy agreement with the landlord concerned. The housing authority will pay the rent for the accommodation directly to the landlord on behalf of the household, which will be required to pay a rent contribution to the authority calculated in accordance with the authority's differential rent scheme. To be included in the HAP scheme, the accommodation must meet the statutory standards for rented accommodation and the landlord must be tax compliant. These provisions will provide a new framework for the provision of long-term rental assistance and, in collaboration with other measures, can facilitate the removal of some existing barriers to employment by allowing HAP recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment.

The Bill also includes provisions detailing when a household would be considered ineligible to receive HAP, or cease to receive such support, and provisions on controls around tenancy changes and amendments to the Housing Acts 1966 to 2013 that are consequential on the introduction of HAP. There are also provisions allowing for transitional arrangements to facilitate the roll-out of HAP in Limerick and the six housing authorities selected for participation in the first phase of HAP, following the successful progress of this Bill.

Part 5 includes a number of miscellaneous provisions, notably section 49 which provides for the implementation of mandatory direct deduction of rental contributions due to housing authorities from the welfare payments of HAP recipients and local authority tenants. This Part also includes provisions for data sharing and exchange between housing authorities, the Department of Social Protection, my Department and other relevant bodies for the administration of the housing functions of local authorities.

While the Bill before the House addresses a wide range of issues, there are additional aspects still under development, which I hope to bring forward for consideration during the Bill's passage through the Oireachtas. Following review of the proposals concerned, I will bring appropriate text to Government in relation to these and any related amendments for approval for inclusion on Committee Stage. The main areas concerned are residency requirements for households seeking social housing support, an internal review procedure for certain HAP decisions, a power to allow a local authority to enter into an agreement with another body in relation to the performance of one or more of its housing functions and a number of amendments to the social welfare code, consequent to the introduction of HAP.

This Bill provides long awaited coherence and equity to long-term social housing support. I am confident that it will improve the ability of housing authorities to plan and deliver their services in a coherent, flexible and responsive manner by bringing all long-term social housing services provided by the State together under the local authority system. The Bill provides equity for those in receipt of housing assistance from the State, for those in receipt of long-term rent supplement and for those in traditional social housing. It also provides for legal clarity in respect of repossession procedures and brings coherence and consistency to tenant purchase within the State. This Bill is more than anything else tenant-focused and it will change the housing landscape in Ireland to the benefit of the tenant. I commend the Bill to the House.

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