Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 317: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the criteria for rent subsidy for qualifying applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20974/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA), which is administered on behalf of the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The Executive can also provide assistance with rent deposits to enable people to secure private rented accommodation.

In order to qualify for a rent supplement a person must satisfy a number of conditions including a means test and a habitual residence condition. The Executive must also satisfy itself that the applicant has a genuine accommodation need, that the property being rented is suitable to those needs and that a bona fide tenancy exists between the applicant and their landlord.

Rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that the person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the appropriate basic weekly payment rate of SWA, less €13. This €13 represents the minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. In addition to the minimum contribution, applicants may also be required to contribute part of any assessable means which they have in excess of the appropriate SWA rate.

In recent years improvements have been made in the means test to encourage eligible people to engage in employment without losing their entire rent supplement payment. Where a person has additional income in excess of the standard weekly rate of supplementary welfare allowance, the first €75 of such additional income together with 25% of any additional income above €75 is disregarded for means assessment purposes. This ensures that those returning to work or participating in training schemes are better off as a result o f taking up such an opportunity.

In addition, rent supplement may continue to be paid to a person who engages in full time employment, subject to their satisfying the improved means testing arrangements, as outlined above, and where they have been accepted as having a long term housing need under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).

There are a number of other qualifying conditions such as the cost of the accommodation, application for local authority housing etc. which need to be considered by the Executive when determining entitlement for rent supplement. More detailed descriptions of all of the qualifying conditions for rent supplement can be found on the Department's website (www.welfare.ie) under the heading of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.