Written answers

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Department of Social Protection

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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26. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will increase the rent supplement levels; her views that such an increase will have an immediate effect on the reduction of homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47079/14]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently approximately 71,800 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.

I am keeping the matter regarding rent limits under consideration and the review being undertaken by the Department will be finalised shortly.

The Department is in a position of both significant influence in the private rented market and responsibility. There is a real concern that increased rent limits may add to further rental inflation and impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers, their families and students. Increasing limits will yield only a very marginal increase in available supply for rent supplement recipients with the only certainty that raising limits will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to new recipients.

Increasing both public and private housing supply and the reactivation of the construction activity is a critical issue at this time and the resolution of the housing supply situation is a key element in restoring stability to the rental market which the Government is addressing through Construction 2020 and the recently published Social Housing Strategy.

I can assure the Deputy that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have considerable experience and make every effort to ensure that accommodation needs are met including through the use of their discretionary statutory powers as necessary and, in Dublin, through the Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol (ITSP). A notice reminding staff of their statutory discretionary power to award, on a case by case basis, a supplement for rental purposes in exceptional cases, for example, when dealing with applicants who are at risk of losing their tenancy was circulated in July 2014 and further instruction has issued this week to ensure consistency throughout the country. Rent supplement payments are being made in excess of the maximum limits throughout the county, including some 240 cases under the ITSP, in order to maintain tenancies and prevent the occurrence of homelessness.

I strongly advise that where a person in receipt of rent supplement is at risk of losing their tenancy they should make contact with the Tenancy Protection Service provided by Threshold in Dublin on 1800 454 454 or their local Community Welfare Service throughout the country.

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