Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that rent allowance payments will continue to recipients whose current landlords refuse to migrate to the housing assistance payment scheme; if she will acknowledge that any stoppage in rent allowance before a tenant has secured accommodation which will engage with the HAP scheme will force persons into a situation of homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39089/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 63,000 people at a cost of €298 million in 2015. The provision for 2015 represents a transfer of funding in excess of €20 million to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to support the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

In local authority areas where HAP is in place, new applicants assessed as requiring social housing support will be considered for HAP rather than rent supplement. HAP is operational in 15 local authority areas and there are currently over 4,600 HAP tenancies in place.

The Department’s strategic direction is to transfer responsibility of persons with long term housing needs to the local authorities under HAP. Of the 4,600 HAP tenancies in place, some 1,650 have transferred from rent supplement, having been in receipt of the scheme for a period of over 18 months. Failure of a landlord to participate in HAP does not affect a recipient’s continued entitlement to rent supplement. I can assure the Deputy that Departmental officers make every effort to ensure that persons in receipt of rent supplement are supported in the transfer to HAP.

Officials in the Department continue to work closely with those in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the local authorities to further roll out HAP and to ensure that customers are supported in the transition from rent supplement.