Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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519. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 918 of 14 January 2015 if local authority rents will increase from current rates following the introduction of the new local authority differential rent framework. [3565/15]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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520. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 920 of 14 January 2015, the action he will take in the event a majority of elected representatives of a local authority vote against the implementation of the new differential rent framework and retain the existing arrangements. [3566/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 519 and 520 together.

I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 916, 917, 918, 919 and 920 of 14 January 2015, in which I stated that “ The introduction of the rent framework will mean that, on the expiry of the 2 year transitional period, the amount of rent payable by some households may be lower in some cases, and higher in others, than the rent currently payable under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. ” I cannot be more specific at this stage as the necessary Regulations prescribing the matters to be included by housing authorities in their section 31 rent schemes have not yet been made.

I also stated in the reply that I expect that the elected members of each housing authority will make a rent scheme in compliance with the law. I do not propose to speculate about the fulfilment, or otherwise, by individual councils of a reserved function under the Housing Acts.