Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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874. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of housing assistance payment tenancies that were secured in 2013 and 2014; if these tenancies have resulted in a reduction in the waiting lists for social housing, per county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28977/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Further to the enactment of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 on 28 July 2014, the first phase of the Housing Assistance Payment (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 4 Dublin local authorities. The second phase of the HAP statutory pilot has recently commenced with the HAP scheme becoming operational in Donegal County Council on 25 May 2015, in Offaly County Council on 15 June 2015 and in Carlow, Clare and Tipperary County Councils and Cork City Council from 29 June 2015.

No HAP tenancies were secured in 2013 as the pilot scheme only commenced on 15 September 2014. There were 485 households being supported by HAP at the end of 2014. There are now over 2,500 households in receipt of HAP across the local authority areas taking part in the statutory pilot scheme and consideration is currently being given to the sequencing of a further cohort of local authorities to commence HAP on an incremental basis this year.

Applicants for social housing support are assessed by the relevant housing authority in accordance with section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions)  Act 2009, as amended and the associated Social Housing Regulations 2011. Households that qualify for social housing support on assessment are entered onto the housing authority’s waiting list and are considered for the allocation of suitable tenancies in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme. The most up-to-date available figures for housing list numbers, which relate to 2013, predate the introduction of HAP. However, the Social Housing Strategy 2020published by the Government in November 2014 includes a commitment to undertake a summary of social housing assessments on an annual basis from 2016.

As HAP is deemed to be a social housing support under section 19 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, as amended, the over 2,500 households in receipt of HAP across the local authority areas taking part in the statutory pilot scheme would no longer be 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 all authorities involved in the HAP statutory pilot, instructing them to take the necessary steps to ensure that households benefitting 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.