Written answers

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Housing Assistance Payments Administration

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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465. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the additional resources being allocated for local authorities to assist the implementation of the housing assistance payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7419/16]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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There are now over 8,500 households in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the scheme has been rolled out to all categories of households in 19 local authority areas. The Dublin Region Homelessness Executive (DRHE) is also managing a HAP Homeless Pilot for the four Dublin local authorities.

Budget 2016 has increased the funding for the HAP scheme to €47.7 million in 2016, in order to meet the continuing costs of existing HAP households, and the costs of an additional 10,000 households to be supported by HAP in 2016. The majority of this funding is to support on-going rent payments to landlords in respect of existing HAP households and the cost of additional HAP tenancies as households find accommodation through the scheme during the year.

The primary administrative support to HAP local authorities is the central transactional shared service being provided by Limerick City and County Council to all local authorities operating the HAP scheme. This shared service is responsible for a range of functions including monthly payments to landlords and the collection of weekly differential rent from tenants and provides a range of efficiencies to the operation of the scheme.

Each Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for staffing and organisation arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. My Department works closely with all local authorities and all have been invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate the delivery of the Social Housing Strategy. Each staffing sanction request is examined on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. To date 55 HAP related posts have been sanctioned by my Department in response to staffing requests from HAP local authorities and the shared service centre provided by Limerick City and County Council.

In order to cover staffing and administrative costs arising due to the operation of the HAP scheme in their area, local authorities are provided with an administrative payment of €150 per household supported as they are set up under the HAP scheme. In 2015, some €993,000 was paid by my Department in such HAP administration costs to local authorities. Local authorities will be able to make claims on a similar basis for 2016.

The phased roll out of the HAP pilot scheme has proved to be an effective approach. In this context, my Department maintains regular contact with the pilot local authorities in order to learn from their experience of the scheme, and to address operational issues as they arise.

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