Written answers

Thursday, 14 July 2022

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Departmental Schemes

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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374. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason that HAP recipients are not able to get repayment plans if they are in arrears; the way that tenants in arrears can deal with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39217/22]

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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375. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of tenants who had HAP arrears and who lost their tenancies by county since 1 January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39218/22]

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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376. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will publish the guidelines used by HAP and by the local authorities on the way that they deal with vulnerable customers in rent arrears; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39219/22]

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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377. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will request HAP to allow tenants in rent arrears to take-up payment plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39220/22]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 374, 375, 376 and 377 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.

Since HAP was rolled out in 2014 to end 2021, HAP support has been ceased for 1,418 tenancies due to tenant differential rent arrears. This represented 1.4% of all tenancies set up during that period. Data in respect of 2022 is not yet available. My Department does not hold data on the number of tenants who have exited HAP due to arrears on a county by county basis, the management of individual HAP tenancy exits is a matter for each individual local authority.

The approach taken by the HAP Shared Services Centre (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.

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.

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