Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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58. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will review FIS means testing with the rent allowance payment in view of the fact prior to 2012 FIS was not calculated when means testing for rent allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17716/17]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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87. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will end the current situation in which child maintenance is included as a source of income in the calculation of rent supplement for lone parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17951/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 87 together.

Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting 44,800 recipients at a cost of €253 million in 2017.

Rent supplement is a statutory means tested scheme which is payable at differentiated rates of payment taking into account the applicant’s means and their accommodation requirements. 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 weekly minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. The standard weekly minimum contribution is €30 for a single person and €40 for a couple. Many recipients pay more than this amount because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate SWA rate towards their accommodation costs to ensure that the payments under the scheme target those most in need of assistance.

The rent supplement assessment provides for a gradual withdrawal of payment as hours of employment or income increase. Income from employment and family income supplement (FIS) in excess of the standard SWA weekly rate of payment attract an additional income disregard and are assessed as follows; the first €75 of such additional income together with 25% of any additional income above €75 can be disregarded for means assessment purposes. For rent supplement, maintenance payments of up to €95.23 per week are assessed in determining the appropriate rate payable (vouched weekly rent or mortgage costs of up to this amount are disregarded in establishing the rate of one-parent family payment payable). Where a person has weekly maintenance payments of more than €95.23, it is assessed under rent supplement using the formula as outlined.

Any changes to the conditions of the rent supplement scheme can only be considered in a budgetary context. I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputies.