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

First of all, it is not robbing Peter to pay Paul. FIS supplements the income of tens of thousands of families who are working in casual employment or are in receipt of very low incomes. All income has to be taken into account in rent supplement cases. The fact that a payment has come from a different arm of the State does not mean it is disregarded. It is given from one arm of the State in order to supplement a family's income. From a HAP or rent supplement perspective, in assessing that payment it forms part of a family's income and cannot be disregarded.

I take issue with the Deputy in regard to HAP. I admit it has had a slow start, even in my own county. As of 11 September, 12,700 new HAP tenancies have been set up during 2017. There has been a sizeable reduction in the number of families involved and the amount of money we are spending on rent supplement. Ideally, we would like to reduce rent supplement so that families are in longer term lets or their own homes.

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