Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) levels are adequate to support vulnerable households, while we increase the supply of social housing. Under Housing for All, my Department was tasked with undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether an increase in the level of discretion available to Local Authorities under HAP was required. The Housing Agency undertook to carry out this analytical exercise on behalf of the Department to better understand what level of discretion should be made available to Local Authorities under HAP to maintain adequate levels of support.

Following receipt and analysis of this review, I, in co-operation with Government colleagues and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, have now approved an increase in the HAP discretion rate from 20% to 35% and for new tenancies to extend the couple’s rate to single person households. This will secure more tenancies and prevent new entries to homelessness. Both these measures came into effect from 11 July 2022.

It is a matter for each local authority to determine whether the application of a discretionary increase is warranted, and the level of such an increase, on a case-by-case basis.

Figures on the use of increased HAP discretion introduced on 11 July are not yet available. My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity in all local authorities. This data is available until the end of Quarter 2 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.

The table below shows the number of households at the end of Q2 2022, broken down by local authority, who are in receipt of discretion, and sets out the average level of discretion in each area. This table excludes homeless households in Dublin who were eligible to receive up to 50% discretion. The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) is operating the HAP Homeless Place Finder Service on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities.