Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason that bank mandates were not sent to landlords partaking in the HAP scheme (details supplied). [34074/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Limerick City and County Council provide a highly effective transactional-shared service on behalf of all local authorities with Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) tenants. The HAP Shared Services Centre (HAP SSC) manages all HAP related rental transactions for the tenant, local authority and landlord.

The HAP SSC do not change any data in respect of a HAP tenancy account. For a change to be made the local authority will create an amendment and these are then approved by the HAP SSC.  The amendment process ensures there is an audit trail for all change requests. 

In order to amend bank account details, a landlord must provide their local authority with either their new bank header or welcome letter. The local authority will then create an amendment which will be approved by the HAP SSC. 

While my Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review, the day-to-day operation of the social housing system is a matter for the relevant local authority.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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265. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government it is intended that councils will maintain standing waiting lists for affordable housing; if not, if priority for early applications will only apply after the advertisement of each new scheme. [34101/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The allocation of homes under the Local Authority Affordable Housing Scheme is laid out in Part 2 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021, and accompanying Regulations. The Regulations can be found at the following link: www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/184/made/en/print. 

Homes to be made available under the scheme may vary by size, price, location, and other factors. Each individual affordable housing scheme must be advertised separately. Applications for each scheme will only be accepted once the scheme itself is advertised. Allocation of these homes thereafter will be in accordance with the Scheme of Priority adopted by each local authority.

Regulation 5 of the Regulations specifically governs the allocation of housing under the scheme. Regulation 5 (1) (b) states that, where certain  listed criteria have been applied, and the number of eligible applicants still exceeds the number of dwellings for which applications have been accepted, a housing authority shall give priority to the eligible applicants in the order in which their applications were received.

It is not intended that standing waiting lists for affordable housing will be maintained. 

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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266. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if affordable homes that are developed by the Land Development Agency will be allocated under the council priority scheme applied to the council’s own affordable homes; and if it is intended that all Land Development Agency affordable homes for sale will be sold under a shared equity model. [34102/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system, with an ambitious target of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.

The LDA has an immediate focus on managing the State's own lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites. In the longer-term, it will assemble strategic land-banks from a mix of public and private lands, making these available for housing in a controlled manner, which brings essential long-term stability to the Irish housing market.

All affordable purchase homes made available under the Housing for All targeted delivery streams will be sold under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and its associated regulations.  

The LDA has advised my department this it is their intention to partner with Local Authorities in the sale of affordable purchase homes under the local authority affordable purchase scheme for Project Tosaigh contracted schemes. Units sold under the local authority affordable purchase scheme will be subject to the scheme of priority adopted by the local authority in the normal way.  The local authority affordable purchase scheme is an equity based model. 

For delivery of housing from state lands, the LDA’s intention is that the homes will be primarily owned and managed by the LDA for the provision of affordable rental accommodation. Details of the mechanism under the Affordable Housing Act under which it is intended the affordable purchase homes will be sold are being worked through.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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267. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider setting up a repayment plan using the household budget for persons who has HAP arrears to enable them to continue to receive HAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34134/22]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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282. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a repayment plan for HAP arrears can be put in place for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34469/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 282 together.

Tenants in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme are required to sign a rent contribution agreement to pay a weekly rental contribution to the relevant local authority, in line with the local authority’s differential rent scheme. As set out in the rent contribution agreement, this weekly rental contribution must be paid by them so that they remain eligible for the HAP scheme.

The HAP Shared Services Centre (SSC) manages the collection of all HAP tenants’ differential rents, on behalf of the relevant local authority, and the payment of all HAP rents to landlords on behalf of tenants supported by the HAP scheme. The HAP SSC follows a clear communication policy if rental arrears issues arise. This policy includes regular and early written communication with tenants, landlords and the relevant local authority.

The approach taken by the HAP SSC has been very effective with minimal levels of rent arrears arising for HAP tenants. In 2019, the scheme had a 96% differential rent collection rate, with minimal arrears arising for tenants or local authorities. At Q4 2021, the scheme had a 99% differential rent collection rate. Therefore, only a very small number of tenants have fallen into difficulty with their differential rent.

During the Covid-19 emergency, the HAP Debt Management Process (DMP) was suspended from March 2020 and partially re-commenced in October 2020. This meant non-payment of differential rent by a tenant during that time did not affect payments to HAP landlords. Tenants were, however, expected to continue to pay their rent with supports available for those financially impacted by Covid.

Following on from the successful roll out of the Covid vaccine programme and the reopening of society, the normal DMP was reinstated from 6 September 2021.

Tenants that incurred arrears during the Covid-19 emergency were given additional time to engage with the HAP Debt Management Unit to clear their arrears, as well as access to payment plans as a specific Covid measure. Under the normal HAP DMP payment plans are not offered or available to tenants at this stage of the process. The HAP SSC has now resumed the standard debt management process.

The National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, was established in December 2021 in line with a commitment set out in Housing for All.  At the first meeting of NHAC, it was agreed that immediate priority would be given to additional measures to prevent homelessness. A number of measures have been identified and are now being advanced. Three separate subgroups have also been established to focus on specific areas of homelessness prevention. One of these subgroups is tasked with considering the risk of homelessness for HAP/HHAP tenants in arrears. Each subgroup has been requested to provide an update at the next meeting of NHAC in July and to make a final recommendation/recommendations to NHAC at its Q4 meeting.

HAP tenants in arrears should contact their local authority and the HAP SSC to discuss the options that are available to them to ensure the continuation of their HAP support.