Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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At present the making of rent schemes and the setting of rent levels is a matter for each local authority under the provisions of the Housing Act 1966.

Section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which has not been commenced to date, provides that Regulations may be made for the matters to be included in a rent scheme to be made by a housing authority, including:

- the manner in which the financial circumstances of households and their ability to pay rent shall be taken into account in determining rent, including the level, type and sources of household income that may be assessed for the purpose of determining rents;

- the manner in which adjustments may be made to the rent in respect of any obligations imposed on the tenant under the tenancy agreement relating to the maintenance of the dwelling;

- the amount, or method of calculation, of any allowances in respect of rent which may be made for dependents;

- the procedure for rent review including rent increases during the period of the tenancy having regard to any changes in household circumstances or income levels.

The section also empowers housing authorities to include charges in the rent relating to the costs of works and services provided to dwellings under the Housing Acts. 

Considerable work has been carried out by my Department in developing a draft national differential rents framework under section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. Such a framework had as its main aim the facilitation of a significant harmonisation in local authority rents, including a set of standardised income disregards, whilst retaining the general principle of rents related to household income.

This work is now being examined further in the light of the broader commitment given in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, to review the disparate systems of differential rent for social housing in place across local authorities. The overall objective is to ensure that housing supports are fair and sustainable, prioritise those on lowest incomes and avoid creating social welfare traps that may prevent people from either returning to work or to the private housing market.

I expect that the review will be completed in the near future, after which the position in relation to Section 31 of the 2009 Act will be considered further.