Niall Collins (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 955: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, to provide an integrated and coordinated long-term housing strategy, he will make each local authority solely responsible for all social housing allocations, payments and supplements in their area and transfer all housing related funds currently being distributed by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Health Service Executive to the housing department of each local authority for administration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38563/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Rent supplement, as provided by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and administered by the Health Services Executive, is an income support payment made to people living in private rented accommodation who cannot provide for the cost of their accommodation.

Housing authorities are responsible for meeting housing need, in particular long term housing need, through the provision of social housing. Housing authorities use a variety of delivery mechanisms, including the Rental Accommodation Scheme and long term leasing to meet these needs. Authorities do not make direct payments to tenants.

One of the primary objectives of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which was initiated in 2004, is to ensure that local authorities take responsibility for accommodating rent supplement recipients, where it is deemed that they now have a long-term housing need. Since the scheme was initiated local authorities have transferred over 22,000 households from rent supplement to RAS or other forms of social housing.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 956: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some councils have taken persons off the housing list and will not consider them for a housing offer if they have entered into a rent accommodation scheme arrangement either with their own council or with another council, however other council are willing to house persons even if they have entered into a rent accommodation scheme arrangement; if he will review this inconsistency of policy in order that persons who enter into rent accommodation scheme arrangements will have confidence that they would still be considered for a suitable local authority tenancy that arose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38598/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Under the current operation of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), households who are accommodated under the scheme are entitled to remain on the housing waiting list and my Department has issued guidance on this matter to local authorities. However, it is matter for each authority, under its Scheme of Letting Priorities, to determine a household's priority for housing and an authority under their scheme may re-assess a household's priority where their circumstances have changed.

It should be noted, however, that the new Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 provides for a broadening of the definition of social housing support to encompass not only local authority accommodation, but also voluntary/co-operative accommodation and accommodation in the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). Accordingly, once this section is commenced, households accommodated under RAS will be regarded as having had their housing need met. In tandem with this, new procedures for the allocation of social housing support, which will also be introduced on foot of the Act, will make it easier for social housing tenants (including tenants of the Rental Accommodation Scheme) to transfer between different types of social housing.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 957: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the work of the national housing strategy for people with disabilities will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38617/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Work on the development of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability is well advanced and I envisage publication in the first quarter of 2010.