Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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149. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if payments from the UK, such as the UK equivalent to disability allowance, are assessed as means in the eligibility for rent allowance; if there has been a change in policy regarding the assessment of UK means in the past number of years; the reason behind any such change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31355/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The rent supplement scheme is supporting some 50,700 tenants at a cost of €267 million this year.

Rent supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution. This minimum contribution is established as €40 for couples and €30 for single persons and lone parent families. Many recipients pay more than their minimum contribution because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their accommodation costs.

The UK equivalent to disability living allowance remains fully assessable as part of an applicant’s household means in determining entitlement to rent supplement. There has been no recent change in policy with respect to assessment of this income. A person receiving disability allowance from this Department would also have the allowance assessed as means for the purposes of rent supplement.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.