John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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351. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 5.2 to review the disparate systems of differential rents for social housing across local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35101/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The making and amending of rent schemes is the responsibility of local authorities as an integral part of their housing management functions, subject to broad principles laid down by my Department in Circular letter HRT 3/2002 of 6 March 2002. Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, not yet commenced, provides for the introduction of a national differential rents framework that will harmonise local authority rent levels, while retaining some discretion for individual authorities to set rents in their own areas.

Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft framework for a harmonisation of the approach to be taken by local authorities in regard to various aspects of rent schemes. The proposals are currently being reviewed in light of the broader commitment given in Rebuilding Ireland, the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness to review the disparate systems of differential rent in place across local authorities. This review will be completed by the end of Quarter 2 2017.