Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are all aware that rent supplement plays a vital role in housing just over 38,600 families and individuals at a cost of €253 million in 2017. Rent supplement is a statutory means-tested scheme, paid at differentiated rates of payment according to an applicant’s means and accommodation requirements. It is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has enough income at the rate of supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, appropriate to his or her family circumstances, less a weekly minimum contribution. This ensures that the payments are targeted at those most in need of assistance.

The standard weekly minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources is €30 for a single person and €40 for a couple. Many recipients pay more than this amount as they are required, subject to their income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means over and above their appropriate SWA rate towards their accommodation costs. Income from employment and family income supplement in excess of the standard SWA weekly rates of payment attract an additional income disregard and are assessed as follows: the first €75 of such additional income together with 25% of any additional income above €75 is disregarded for means assessment purposes.

Any changes to the rent supplement scheme can only be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available, not just to my Department but to the Government. The Deputy will be aware that the strategic policy direction of my Department is to return rent supplement to its original purpose, that is, a short-term income support while we roll out the HAP scheme which has been very effective and successful to date.

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