Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to refer to the social housing strategy in the programme for Government. I want to raise the matter of the housing assistance payment and the fact that there is blatant discrimination by some letting agencies and landlords right across the State on a daily basis. This, in turn, is forcing more people into homelessness. A test was carried out recently in which five people contacted the same letting agency on the same day about the same property to rent. Two of those callers declared that they were in receipt of the housing assistance payment and they were told they would be put on a waiting list. The other three callers declared they were not in receipt of a housing assistance payment and would be paying privately. All three got a viewing appointment. The process that is currently in place is wholly inadequate, first, because it is under-resourced and, second, because it can take upwards of six months to investigate a complaint of discrimination. Given the level of discrimination right across the State in respect of the housing assistance payment, will the Taoiseach agree to extend the powers to investigate to Threshold and the Residential Tenancies Board? Will he also agree to a system, such as a telephone line, whereby people could report discrimination? The system should be resourced so action can be taken straight away against people who are found to be in breach and actively discriminating against those on the housing assistance payment.

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