Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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530. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the income limit in the housing assistance payment includes all employment related income, such as commission, bonus and so on; the legal obligations facing the tenant and landlord in the event that the tenant's income exceeds the HAP threshold while the tenant is renting under the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40200/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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HAP is an immediate and flexible form of housing support available to the approx. 91,000 households with a long-term housing need, including those already in receipt of Rent Supplement (as per the 2016 National Social Housing Assessment). One of the key objectives of the HAP scheme is to facilitate the removal of barriers to return to work for persons who are reliant on Rent Supplement for their long-term housing needs.

Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for housing support through the HAP scheme. Once in receipt of a social housing support, like HAP, the eligibility of households is not reassessed. HAP recipients can avail of full-time work and retain their housing support, with an adjustment in their differential rent; under Rent Supplement, these households would lose their housing related support payment. As the tenant’s income increases, their rent contribution to the local authority will also increase. Tenants must notify the local authority of any changes in their income. This occurs in the same way all social housing supports, including local authority owned properties.  There is no statutory obligation for a landlord in receipt of a HAP payment on behalf of their tenant to inform a local authority if there is a change in a tenant’s income; the HAP payment to the landlord will not change and the tenant's rent contribution to the local authority will be amended.

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.  It is a matter for local authorities, when assessing individual households, to consider whether rents payable are in accordance with the authority’s rent scheme. Therefore, decisions on whether or not to disregard either a proportion of income or particular sources of income for the purposes of calculating rents are matters for each individual local authority to consider in accordance with their own rent scheme.

The HAP scheme is funded through a combination of Exchequer monies and tenant differential rents collected in respect of HAP tenancies. In 2016, the scheme had a 99% differential rent collection rate, with minimal arrears arising for tenants or local authorities and circa €21.7M was collected in differential rent from HAP supported households.

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