Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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62. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will disregard means testing of maintenance payments with rent allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39684/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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64. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which her attention has been drawn to of the serious dependency on rent support from her Department for persons on lower incomes from employment or social welfare, with particular reference to the need to ensure that the issues of homelessness are not exacerbated by reference to use of legislation or guidelines more applicable to a time when housing was not an issue; if she will pay particular attention to reduction or cessation of rent support which may have resulted in homelessness in the course of the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39647/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 64 together.

Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting 38,600 recipients at a cost of €253 million in 2017.

I can assure the deputies every effort is made by my Department so that rent supplement tenants can remain in their homes. In view of the on-going rental market difficulties, my Department implements a targeted case-by-case policy approach that allows for flexibility where landlords seek rents in excess of the rent limits.

In addition, the Protocol arrangement in place with Threshold is operational in the areas where supply issues are particularly acute covering Kildare, Dublin, Cork, Meath, Wicklow and Galway City. To date in 2017, in excess of 1,370 recipients have been supported with increased rent payments.

Continued entitlement to rent supplement may be reviewed following a decision to suspend or disallow a primary social welfare payment as there may be a change to the claimant’s circumstances that could affect eligibility. Any person in this situation is encouraged to contact the Department’s office responsible for their rent supplement claim to discuss their situation, if there is a specific risk of homelessness this should be communicated at the earliest opportunity so that continued eligibility can be determined without delay.

Rent supplement is a statutory means tested scheme, payable at differentiated rates of payment according to the applicant’s means and accommodation requirements, and 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. For rent supplement, maintenance payments of up to €95.23 per week are assessable on the basis that vouched accommodation costs of up to this amount are disregarded in the assessment of weekly social assistance payments such as jobseeker’s allowance and one-parent family payment.

Any changes to the rent supplement scheme can only be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputies.