Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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287. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to provide, in legislation or otherwise, for applicants on housing lists to obtain HAP, housing assistance payment, from the local authority of which they are an applicant, to obtain a property to rent within the jurisdiction of another local authority and that HAP payments be directed towards this, particularly in neighbouring local authorities such as Cork City Council and Cork County Council. [37335/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a key Government priority and the accelerated roll-out of the scheme on a national basis is an important early action for completion in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. HAP is now available to all qualified households in 19 local authority areas, with over 15, 5 00 households currently being supported by the scheme and over 10,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to those households. HAP will be available from 1 December 2016 in the following nine further local authorities - Cavan, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. A breakdown of the number of households supported by HAP in each local authority area at the end of Quarter 3, 2016 is available on my Department’s website at the following link:.

The flexibility of HAP as a form of social housing support is one of the scheme’s key elements and an important benefit envisaged for many households with a housing need. The movement of households, including movement between local authority areas, for the purposes of employment, further education or other reasonable reasons is facilitated for households under the scheme, while retaining HAP support. The movement of HAP approved households between neighbouring local authority areas has been facilitated to date in a small number of cases. However, the phased implementation of the HAP pilot scheme has afforded my Department opportunity for learning and it is in this context that the need for greater ease in the provision of flexibility of movement of HAP households between local authority areas has been identified. This matter is under consideration and the options to facilitate such movements, while remaining cognisant of the Ministerial direction in relation to transfers to other forms of social housing, are being explored within my Department with input from those local authorities where the scheme is operational.

My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review. In general, I am satisfied with how the HAP scheme is operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme under Rebuilding Ireland.