Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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203. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to move 75,000 families and persons from rent allowance to the housing assistance payment scheme by 2020; if he will provide the full details of this scheme; the benefit to the tenant of transfer from RAS to HAP; if these applicants will be removed from the local authority housing list; the situation if a tenant does not want to participate in the HAP scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9447/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, which I published on 26 November 2014.

Further to the enactment of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 on 28 July 2014, the first phase of the HAP statutory pilot commenced with effect from 15 September 2014 in Limerick City and County Council, Waterford City and County Council and Cork County Council. HAP commenced in Louth, Kilkenny, South Dublin and Monaghan County Councils from 1 October 2014. Subsequently, on 18 December 2014, Dublin City Council became part of the statutory HAP pilot, with a specific focus on accommodating homeless households. Dublin City Council is implementing the HAP pilot for homeless households in the Dublin region on behalf of all four Dublin local authorities, including Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. There are now more than 1,000 households being supported by HAP across the local authority areas taking part in the statutory pilot scheme.

During the legislation's passage through the Oireachtas in July 2014 an undertaking was given that a report would be prepared for the relevant Oireachtas Committee, that would include a full review of the statutory pilot phase. Data for this report is being gathered from pilot sites and the report will be submitted to the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht shortly. Based on data gathered for the review, consideration is currently being given to the sequencing of local authorities to commence HAP on an incremental basis this year.

The HAP scheme will bring all social housing supports provided by the State under the aegis of local authorities. The scheme will remove a barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment. The rent contribution payable by the HAP recipient is based on the differential rent scheme for their local authority and all payments are made electronically. HAP will also provide for a better integrated and more streamlined service for households; facilitate better regulation of the private rented sector; provide certainty for landlords as regards their rental income; improve standards of accommodation; and provide greater consistency in the application of social housing policies. HAP enables the relevant local authority to be a one-stop shop for all housing supports.

As HAP is deemed to be a social housing support under section 19 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, as amended, households in receipt of HAP are not included on the local authority waiting list for social housing support.  However, HAP recipients may access other forms of social housing supports by applying to go on the local authority transfer list.  I issued a statutory direction to the seven authorities involved in the first phase of the HAP statutory pilot, instructing them to take the necessary steps to ensure that households benefiting from HAP can avail of a move to other forms of social housing support, should they wish to do so, through the transfer option. I also directed that HAP recipients, who apply to go on the transfer list, should get full credit for the time they spent on the waiting list and be placed on the transfer list with no less favourable terms than if they had remained on the waiting list.  In practice, housing authorities inform HAP recipients in writing of their entitlement to apply to go on the transfer list when they are approved for HAP. When a new applicant applies for a Housing Needs Assessment, the relevant local authority determines what supports are available and most appropriate for that particular applicant. Tenants who are housed through the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) are already having their housing needs met and it is not envisaged that such tenants will routinely transfer to HAP.

To be eligible for HAP, a household must first apply for and be approved for social housing support by their local authority. If a household is already on the local authority's housing list and currently in receipt of Rent Supplement, the household will be eligible for HAP. Upon its introduction in a local authority area, HAP will replace Rent Supplement for those with a long-term housing need who qualify for social housing support and Rent Supplement will no longer be an option for applicants in such cases.