Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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526. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for preventing an increase in homelessness in 2015; his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48948/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities and the purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. On 20 May 2014, the Implementation Plan on the State's Response to Homelessnesswas published in which the Government's approach to delivery on its objective of ending involuntary long-term homelessness by the end of 2016 was outlined. A copy of this plan is available on my Department's website at.

With regard to the private rented market, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides that rents may not be greater than the open market rate and may only be reviewed upward or downward once a year unless there has been a substantial change in the nature of the accommodation that warrants a review. Tenants must be given 28 days’ notice of new rent and can make an application for dispute resolution to the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) where they feel the rent increase is in excess of the market rent. These provisions have effect notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in a lease or tenancy agreement.  However, a recent Red C poll for the PRTB found that only 64% of tenants were aware of their rights under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. The PRTB is developing a new communications strategy, which will include increasing awareness of existing rights and obligations under the legislation and will be rolled out early in 2015.

In the third quarter of 2014, rents were 5.6% higher nationally than the same period last year, according to the most recent rent index from the PRTB. Rents for houses were 4.3% higher, while apartment rents were 7.3% higher than in the same quarter of 2013. The index shows that nationally, monthly rents were over 17% lower than their peak in late 2007, with Dublin rents 9.4% lower than the peak.

Ultimately, the main cause of rising rents is a lack of supply in the market and the recently published Social Housing Strategy 2020sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list including homeless households. The total targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units will address the needs of the 90,000 on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand. In addition, the implementation of the range of actions under the Government’s Construction 2020strategy will support increased supply in the wider housing market.

The private rented sector is identified as one of three pillars in the Social Housing Strategy to meet social housing need in the years ahead. A key action in the Strategy is to develop a national policy aimed at increasing investment in and supporting the supply of good quality, secure and a ffordable rental accommodation. My Department will be working closely with stakeholders in progressing this action.