Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 240: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to ensure that rent allowance is not paid to households that are engaged in anti-social behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14885/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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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. There are currently some 95,200 rent supplement recipients, with a forecast outturn of €503m in 2011.

In the case of private rented accommodation, tenancy arrangements involve a contract between the landlord and tenant and tenant behaviour is a matter for the landlord in the first instance. There are a number of avenues open to landlords in such cases, including the mediation service for landlords and tenants operated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board and/or recourse to the Garda Síochána and/or the Courts in relation to the enforcement of the law in dealing with anti-social or criminal behaviour. If necessary, the landlord may seek termination of the tenancy which, if effected, would result in the termination of rent supplement.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to review the operation of the rent supplement scheme with a view to introducing a code of conduct for rent supplement eligibility similar to that which operates for local authority tenants.

The purpose of this review is to ensure that tenants who are receiving long term support from the State under the rent supplement scheme are subject to the same type of anti-social behaviour regime as local authority tenants. The most appropriate way for this to happen is for local authorities to take over responsibility for meeting the accommodation needs of these individuals. The Department are currently working with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with a view to achieving this goal. Indeed this transfer of tenants from rent supplement to the local authorities will help achieve another key Government commitment of removing barriers to employment and returning rent supplement to its original intention of a short–term income support payment.

In addition I would point out that social welfare legislation already provides the Department with the authority to refuse, suspend or terminate payment of a rent supplement in the case of a person who has been required to deliver up possession of a dwelling provided by a housing authority or an approved body where the reasons for that requirement include anti-social behaviour or the interests of good estate management.