Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

However, the real cuts to the rent supplement budget were made by Senator Byrne's party in government. That is the bottom line and there is no point in crying crocodile tears about it now.

I congratulate this Government for agreeing to transfer the rent supplement payment to local authorities and I urge the Minister for Social Protection to ensure this is done as soon as possible. Rent supplement is a housing payment, not an income support and it should not be treated as such. The sooner it is in the hands of the local authorities, the better and there is no better woman than Deputy Joan Burton to do that.

I urge the Minister to ensure there are no further cuts to the rent supplement budget next year because it is not realistic in the current housing market. I ask her to review the reductions that were made last year, particularly regarding their impact on single people, one-parent families and parents with part-time access to their children, who are particularly disadvantaged by the housing market. I also ask her to review the rental limits on a geographical basis because there are certain areas where the limits are having a very serious impact. Finally, I ask once again that she transfer the payment of rent supplements to the local authorities as a matter of urgency.