Written answers

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Rental Accommodation Scheme

9:00 pm

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 83: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way her Department is working with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to ensure the rental accommodation scheme meets its objective of catering for those on long-term supplementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24761/08]

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

Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs, and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. In recent years, a significant number of people have come to rely on rent supplement for extended periods. Currently almost 32,000 people are getting rent supplement for 18 months or more. For this reason, the scheme has to be viewed in the context of overall housing policy, particularly in the case of long-term claimants.

In response to this situation, in July 2004 the Government introduced new rental assistance arrangements which include the rental accommodation scheme (RAS). This gives local authorities specific responsibility for meeting the longer-term housing needs of people receiving rent supplement for 18 months or more, on a phased implementation basis. At the end of April 2008, 6,759 rent supplement cases have been transferred to RAS units with a further 6,276 transferred to other social housing options. A financial allocation is transferred from this Department to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in respect of the RAS scheme each year. €27m is due for transfer in 2008.

The Department works closely with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and is represented on a number of RAS implementation groups. That Department is provided with quarterly updates of persons on long term rent supplement for use by local authorities in targeting tenants for transfer to RAS. Significant changes to the means test for rent supplement were implemented in 2007 specifically to facilitate people returning to work who had been accepted as eligible for accommodation under RAS. These measures are positive steps in assisting tenants in achieving a long-term housing solution for their needs.

When the new rental assistance arrangements are fully implemented it is expected that in excess of 30,000 individuals will have transferred from the rent supplement scheme to the local authorities under the rental accommodation scheme or other social housing schemes. The Department will continue to work closely with the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government in ensuring that RAS meets its objective of catering for those on long term rent supplementation while enabling rent supplement to return to its original role of a short-term income support.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.