Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue in the Chamber today. The housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme is a short-term interim solution for people who are looking for a permanent home. It is a support measure for those people who cannot afford to rent in their own right and who are on their local authority's housing list. I am from County Kildare and my constituency of Kildare North is on the commuter belt. Accommodation in the area is much sought after for positive reasons and there are currently approximately 8,000 people on the housing list in Kildare, which is a massive number. Those on the housing list need support and assistance in finding a permanent home, either through the local authority or by some other means. We all know that there is a shortage of supply and there is no point in me dwelling on that point because it has been dealt with extensively in this House. When one has a shortage of supply and a scarce commodity, the cost of that commodity will increase. In that context, we have a number of options if we want to prevent people from becoming homeless and to help those who are homeless to find a home. We can let them carry on as they are and do nothing while we wait on the supply to increase or we can review the current support mechanisms, which are not working in the case of County Kildare, and try to provide better support to people in order that they can access private rental accommodation.

We must be honest and acknowledge that private rental accommodation is the only show in town for those who are on the housing list and seeking accommodation. In respect of those who show up to for viewings, for every family that has been approved for rental support there is another family that does not need such support, which is positive from the perspective of the latter. However, the people who have qualified for HAP and who are on the housing list are at a disadvantage. The Taoiseach acknowledged earlier today in the House that accommodation is very hard to come by. We have all acknowledged that but now we need to do something about it if we are serious about preventing people from becoming homeless.

The HAP scheme payment for a single parent or a couple with two children in County Kildare who are looking for a three-bedroom house is €1,260 with 20% discretion but the current rental price for such a house in any part of north County Kildare is approximately €1,450, so they are already around €200 behind the line. They also have to pay differential rent to the local authority based on their income. In these circumstances, they are at a severe disadvantage in terms of securing private rental accommodation they can afford. They are starting off way behind the line. This is leading to an increase in homelessness and the situation is getting worse. Even when the people who qualify for the HAP scheme view properties they know they will not be able to access them because the payments are inadequate. I ask that those payments be reviewed in the short term until supply increases.

There is also an issue with regard to the administration of the HAP scheme. It can take up to three months for a payment to come through after one applies for the HAP scheme. This also puts HAP applicants at a disadvantage vis-à-visthose who do not need rental support and who show up to viewings with a month's rent and a month's deposit in hand. Landlords or landladies are not going to wait for three months for a payment. If we are serious about dealing with homelessness we must help families to remain in their homes and we must also help families to get off the street. The Government must take this issue seriously and review the HAP scheme. We must do more to help homeless families to access homes.

See this speech in context