Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is an important addition to housing provision in the State, at a cost of €340 million. It has a drawback, however, which is that if someone is in receipt of rent supplement and find a job, he or she may end up losing the rent supplement payment. For the past three years we have concentrated on reforming the rent supplement scheme in order that, over a period, it will transfer to local authorities under the housing assistance payment scheme. At that point, if people find a job, the matter will be assessed on a differential rent basis and it will no longer be an employment trap.

The community welfare service and its officers have discretion to increase or change rent supplement amounts. They exercise this discretion strongly and in great detail on behalf of the clients with whom they work. They take their job very seriously. If Deputies are aware of families who are having difficulty, I strongly advise that as well as advising them to visit the local council, they should advise them to go to the community welfare service. We are spending €244 million of taxpayers' funds, paid for from our taxes, on the payment of rent supplement. There has been no decrease in the allocation for rent supplement payments in the budget and in the year to date 19,000 households, almost one quarter of the total, have had a rent supplement payment initiated, renewed or reviewed successfully.

In addition, given the difficulties in the Dublin city area, we have a protocol with Threshold. Since its introduction in June, we have successfully housed, renewed and provided rent supplement for 250 families. Almost no one has been turned down under the arrangements made with various housing agencies.

Last Friday I was in Cork launching the Cork Simon Community's annual report. Again, I pay tribute to the community welfare service which works with all agencies and non-governmental organisations at local level in helping those with housing difficulties, as well as with specific organisations such as the Simon Community which works with people who are sleeping rough or, for one reason or another, have become homeless.

I take the opportunity to offer my condolences to the family, friends and community of Mr. Jonathan Corrie who died several days ago. I know many people who knew him personally and spoke very highly of him. It was a sad and regrettable death. As Members are aware, Mr. Corrie had a certain amount of contact from time to time with various housing services. While we do not know the detailed circumstances of the case, I offer my condolences to his family and friends.

The Government’s policy is to end homelessness by 2016. As such, more funding has been provided to deal with the issue than in any other country in Europe. The funding to be allocated next year has been increased by 25%.

I hope Deputies opposite will take note of some of the facts in the budget. It is the first in which we have been able to provide for a modest stimulus package of improvements in social welfare payments and reductions in taxation and USC, universal social charge, aimed at low and middle income individuals and families. We also have a major commitment to large-scale social housing investment, investment in the building of more schools and educational facilities, the employment of more teachers, as well as increased spending on health services, with supplementary funding this year and over €600 million extra next year. The budget will be seen to have significantly addressed the issue of spreading the benefits of the recovery around the country to as many individuals and families as possible.

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