Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

Sylvia is in a HAP tenancy for five years. From the beginning she was also paying a top-up to her landlord. She used to live with her eldest son. He has moved out. The landlord has also increased the rent and Sylvia used to get a carers' payment for her father, but her father passed away so she does not get that payment. She has been hit three different ways, with increased rent, lower income and now fewer people in the house. She went to the council, as the Minister of State proposed she do, and the officials said: "Tough luck". The rent is €2,000 to the private landlord, because that is the problem with HAP. Is the council willing to help her out? No, it is not willing to because the Government's rules actually preclude it. Therefore, rent arrears are building up and fairly soon she will be threatened with homelessness unless something is done. By the way, the same thing is happening with cost rental for tenants where people move out and they are faced with the same rent and have less income. What are they supposed to do?

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