Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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281. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding rent allowance in respect of separated persons (details supplied); if the social welfare regulations introduced in 2011 regarding same are a result of legislation or a decision she took; and if she will reverse the decision. [44558/13]

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. There are currently over 82,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013. The amendment to regulations in 2011 did not make any change to the entitlement conditions for rent supplement. Statutory Instrument No. 462 of 2011 revoked provisions which are contained in section 198(3F) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended.

In order to qualify for a rent supplement a person must have been residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons or an institution (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 housing 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 eligibility for social housing and housing needs assessment is a matter for the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.