Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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445. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way he expects landlords to co-operate with the proposed housing assistance payment scheme; if he anticipates that some persons may be made homeless due to non-co-operation by landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36129/13]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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445. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way he expects landlords to co-operate with the proposed housing assistance payment scheme; if he anticipates that some persons may be made homeless due to non-co-operation by landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36129/13]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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474. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the resources he has committed to ensuring the smooth handover from the rent supplement system to the new housing support system proposed for implementation in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36586/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 445, 446 and 474 together.

In March 2012, the Government approved in principle the transfer of responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with an established housing need from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to local authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). My Department and the Department of Social Protection have been working closely on the legal, policy and operational issues involved in this project.

Work has also been on-going with the County and City Managers Association (CCMA), through the Project Steering Group, in overseeing plans for the implementation of HAP. In June a Project Implementation Team was initiated, which will be responsible for detailed planning and implementation during the testing and roll-out phases. A detailed business process design for HAP is currently underway which involves input from all the relevant key stakeholders. Following the completion of the business process design the implementation team will, in conjunction with my Department, develop a plan for the test phase in a number of local authorities.

In respect of the staff resources, the CCMA, through its involvement in both the Project Steering Group and the Project Implementation Team, is providing on-going advice in relation to the resources that will be required by local authorities to implement HAP. This input will continue as the detail of the scheme is developed further this year.

One of the specific objectives of HAP is to facilitate better regulation of the private rented sector which it is intended would lead to improved standards of accommodation, improved levels of registration with the PRTB and strengthened processes for ensuring tax compliance by landlords. Landlords will be expected to comply with the terms of the Scheme in these regards. While I do not anticipate an issue with tenants being able to secure appropriate accommodation in the private rented sector under HAP, I will be keeping this matter under review in the pilot phase of HAP implementation.