Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 317: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that rent supplement is not being granted to separated couples unless they have instigated legal proceedings against each other in order to obtain a legal separation or divorce; her views on the fact that some women who are victims of domestic violence have taken a huge step to actually leave the family home and need time to come to terms with this before they would be in a position to consider legal proceedings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26261/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible persons living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from another 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.

To qualify for rent supplement a person must be residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons (or any combination of these) for a period of 183 days within the preceding 12 months of the date of claim for rent supplement. A person may also qualify for rent supplement where an assessment of housing need has been carried out within the 12 months preceding the date of claim and the person is deemed by a local authority to be eligible for and in need of social housing support.

In all other cases, a person who wishes to apply for rent supplement is referred, in the first instance, for an assessment of eligibility for social housing support by a housing authority. Only when the person has been assessed as being eligible for and in need of social housing support, does the person become eligible for consideration for rent supplement.

However where a claimant's safety and wellbeing are at risk due to domestic violence Department officials operating the rent supplement scheme have discretionary powers to expedite the award of a payment to the person in question.

Policy in relation to the assessment of housing need is a matter for the Minister for the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.