Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

157. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to change the HAP scheme; and his plans to change the level of support for each county to allow inter county HAP applications to be successful. [29812/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q2 2020, almost 79,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 56,500 households actively in receipt of HAP support and over 32,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.

The responsiveness and flexibility of HAP as a social housing support is one of the scheme's key characteristics and was one of the primary benefits envisaged at the outset of the scheme. With this in mind, guidelines on inter-authority movement were issued to local authorities to facilitate movement of HAP households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP tenant, currently on a local authority waiting list, wishes to access rented accommodation with HAP support in another local authority area. Inter authority movement is, however, subject to certain conditions, such as the Social Housing Income Eligibility Bands and confirmation that the applicant's income is below the threshold in the new local authority.

Given that such flexibility facilitates better utilisation of all private rental stock for social housing purposes and supports the maximum activation potential of HAP households by removing geographical barriers to employment, all local authorities have been requested to give appropriate consideration to these requests.

HAP tenants continue to be dealt with by their originating local authority. However, the rent limits will be those that apply in the local authority where the property is situated. The "originating" local authority will engage with the relevant "new" local authority to facilitate eligible requests for inter-authority movement.

At the end of Q2, 2020, over 7,200 HAP household’s had been facilitated via the agreed approach to inter-authority movement.

My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review and it is a key mechanism in meeting housing need across the Country.