Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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279. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps his Department is taking to increase the take up of a scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45163/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme administered by my Department, plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. There are currently more than 28,500 households having their housing needs met via HAP and some 20,000 landlords or agents currently in receipt of HAP payments. A weekly average of 350 HAP tenancies have been set-up during 2017.

HAP is a form of social housing support under which local authorities will make monthly payments on behalf of tenants directly to landlords in respect of rent, subject to the terms and conditions of the scheme. All the terms and conditions of the HAP scheme for both tenants and landlords are available on the dedicated HAP website, www.hap.ie, or directly from local authorities.

Under the HAP scheme, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market, the tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and the tenancy is covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended).

HAP addresses many long standing issues raised by landlord groups in relation to the operation of Rent Supplement. The scheme has a 99% differential rent collection rate, with minimal arrears arising for tenants or local authorities, and a 99% rent payment rate with minimal difficulties arising for landlords. HAP provides landlords with many advantages including that the landlord does not have to collect the rent; payments are made electronically directly to the landlord on the tenant's behalf; landlords who rent to tenants in receipt of HAP may avail of increased tax relief; and changes in a tenant's employment circumstances do not affect the rental payments made to the landlord.

In order to highlight the benefits of HAP and to provide information on the scheme to interested parties, my Department has taken a number of targeted communications actions during 2017, including the provision of a dedicated HAP website which provides prospective HAP landlords and tenants with the information they need to understand how the HAP scheme works. Local authorities are promoting the scheme locally, and engaging with letting agents and landlords who might be interested in entering into a HAP tenancy, while my Department is promoting the scheme by engaging directly with landlord representative bodies and fora.

A landlord or an agent acting on behalf of a landlord is not legally obliged to enter into a tenancy agreement with a HAP recipient. However, since 1 January 2016, a person cannot be discriminated against when renting because they are in receipt of certain payments, including HAP.

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.