Written answers
Tuesday, 12 July 2022
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Housing Policy
Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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375. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the social housing income limits for County Westmeath will be reviewed. [36982/22]
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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382. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the review of the social housing income thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37105/22]
Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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423. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the income thresholds for social housing supports will be updated. [37602/22]
Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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438. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his considerations to increase the income criteria for social housing applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37723/22]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 375, 382, 423 and 438 together.
I refer to the reply to Question No. 6 of 23 June 2022 which sets out the position in the matter.
Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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376. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in some local authority areas including Cork County Council, recipients of the increased disability allowance payment will have this included in their means testing if they are also in receipt of HAP and will lose out on this increase through their rent contribution; the steps that he is taking to resolve this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37026/22]
Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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377. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the work that he is undertaking to ensure that HAP recipients benefit from increases in other social protection payments that they are entitled to and that means testing of income in relation to HAP does not cancel out such increases in future. [37027/22]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 377 together.
Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay.
Local discretion and flexibility are inherent in the devolved administration of rent schemes and different approaches are taken to rent setting across local authorities. Decisions regarding the sources of income included and disregarded for rent assessment purposes, including disability allowance, are a matter for individual local authorities. There is no requirement for standardised treatment of such allowances.
That said, local authority differential rent schemes are income-based. Those who earn more pay more. Accordingly, an increase in income, including an increase in an assessable allowance, may result in increased rent. However, differential rent schemes are also progressive meaning only a proportion of increased income can be charged in rent.
While all tenants, whether HAP or local authority tenants, pay a differential rent on the same basis, rents charged must reflect a tenant's ability to pay. Accordingly, local authority rent schemes generally make allowances for specific hardship cases. In such cases, they may accept lesser amounts for a specified period if they consider the amount of rent due would cause undue hardship for the tenant.
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