Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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115. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the penalties in place for landlords who refuse to accept rent supplement or the housing assistance payment as a form of payment. [10772/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 56,800 people for which the Government has provided approximately €267 million for 2016. Over 20,100 rent supplement tenancies were awarded during 2015 and over 4,500 during the first four months of 2016 showing that landlords are accommodating significant numbers of persons under the scheme.

Recent amendments in Equality legislation, as provided for under the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015, serve to further protect tenants’ rights. This provision, as enacted from 1 January 2016, prohibits discrimination in the letting of residential property to people who are in receipt of a rent supplement or any other social welfare payment, or a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Department officials had engaged with the owners of the larger property websites in advance of this legislation and progress had already been made in this area regarding advertising of properties.

Persons who feel they have been discriminated against by a landlord or their agent may wish to contact the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission or make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission.

Policy responsibility for equality legislation, and its implementation, is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.