Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities may increase rents to their tenants to contribute to the local property tax for which local authorities are liable. [40316/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Housing authorities are responsible, under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, for determining the rents of their dwellings, subject to complying with broad principles laid down by my Department, notably that the rent payable should be related to income and that low-income households should pay a lower proportion of income in rent. Section 58 of the 1966 Act will be replaced in due course by section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, as amended, which provides for significant harmonisation of differential rent levels nationally, while retaining some discretion for individual authorities in setting rents in their own areas. Both enactments provide for charges in addition to rent in respect of works or services provided under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2014.

It is a matter for housing authorities, in compliance with the relevant legislative requirements, to determine rents taking account of all relevant issues, including the authorities’ obligations in respect of local property tax.