Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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241. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of HAP tenancies paying a top-up to the HAP payment out of all HAP and homeless HAP payments; the value of those top-ups; and the number of these tenants paying a top-up in receipt of a social welfare payment by local authority area. [17956/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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At the end of March 2019, there were 45,423 active tenancies being supported under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Collection of data in relation to the number of households making a top-up payment to their landlord does not form part of the standard reporting process of my Department.  However, the information available to the HAP Shared Service Centre operated by Limerick City and County Council indicates that approximately three quarters of all HAP tenancies are fully supported.

In the case of other tenancies, it should be noted that there is no legislative provision precluding HAP supported households contributing towards the monthly rent to their landlord.  This reflects the fact that, unlike Rent Supplement, where payment ceases in certain circumstances, HAP support can continue to be paid where a household’s income increases, including for reasons of the tenant taking up full-time employment.  In those cases, it would therefore be expected that some tenants would consider rental options, which they source themselves in the private rental market, that would involve them paying an element of rent beyond the HAP rent limits, enabled to do so by their improved income position.

It should be noted that local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that tenancies are sustainable and are advised not to provide HAP support to tenancies where they are not satisfied that the household would not be in a position to meet the rental costs being sought. 

 My Department does not collect information in relation to social welfare payments; however, a local authority will take into consideration all relevant income when assessing a HAP application.