Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 87: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to ensure that the PPS number of every landlord is collected and recorded by his Department in respect of every rent supplement tenancy and made available to the Revenue Commissioners. [21611/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Section 888 of the Taxes Acts places an obligation on the Department to provide the Revenue Commissioners with payment details relating to rent supplement on an annual basis. Section 123 of the Finance Act 2007 Act places an additional obligation on the Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to request a PPS No. or Tax Reference Number from a landlord before payment of the supplement is made and it obliges the landlord to comply with the request in time for the HSE to have the information before payment is made. Neither the Department nor the HSE have any responsibility in monitoring or enforcing landlord compliance. This is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and the Department provides all possible cooperation to assist them in this task.

The Department and the Revenue Commissioners have arranged for the collection of landlord PPS/Tax Reference Numbers to apply to new rent supplement claims registered from 28th October 2008 and to be returned as part of the annual return. Arrangements were put in place by the Department, with effect from 28th October 2008 to automate the process for the HSE to request the landlord's relevant PPS/Tax Reference Number. On receipt of the relevant tax details from the landlord the Executive were also provided with the facility to record the relevant number on the Department's IT system to facilitate an electronic transfer of information to the Revenue Commissioners. The HSE has advised the Department that it has now amended the rent supplement application form to include a section requesting the landlord PPS & Tax Reference Number. This now removes the requirement for a separate letter to issue separately to the landlord for the majority of cases.

Revenue are notified where a landlord fails to provide a PPS number or Tax Reference, so that they can pursue the matter. The Department has recently contacted the HSE to ensure that all landlord PPS/Tax Reference Numbers that have been received by the HSE are updated on the Department's computer records in accordance with its statutory obligations.