Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 1258: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to rectify the anomaly whereby rent allowance is paid to only one parent in a case in which joint custody exists and when the second parent may be unable to provide adequate accommodation for the children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32485/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term 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. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer.

Every claim for rent supplement is determined having regard to the particular circumstances of the applicant. Any person seeking a rent supplement must first satisfy the HSE that they have a housing need that they are unable to meet from their own resources. In addition, the HSE must be satisfied that the residence is reasonably suited to the residential and other needs of the claimant and that the rent payable is reasonable having regard to the nature, character and location of the residence.

In a case where parents have joint custody of a child, the needs of both parents to have adequate accommodation to look after the child are taken into account when an application for a rent supplement is being determined. In such cases, documentation is normally required showing the joint custody arrangement before a decision can be made. The fact that one parent is in receipt of rent supplement would not in itself preclude the other parent from being entitled to assistance towards their rent.