Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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277. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the expansion of data-sharing arrangements between the Residential Tenancies Board and the Revenue Commissioners under target 2.6 of Housing For All; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7330/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under Housing for All (September 2021) and the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022), the Government is committed to the expansion of data-sharing arrangements between the Revenue Commissioners and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

Engagement between the RTB and the Revenue Commissioners is ongoing with a view to implementing this commitment and following any necessary engagement with the Data Protection Commission, the Government will consider any necessary legislative changes for early implementation.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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279. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department maintains figures on the number of households in receipt of the housing assistance payment that are making additional contributions to their landlord; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7332/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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A key principle of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is that eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector and are advised that this accommodation should be within the HAP rent limits provided to them by the local authority. The limits applicable are related to the specific household and the rental market in the area.

My Department is aware that some HAP recipients are making payments directly to their landlords, beyond the amount of HAP being paid on their behalf. There is no legislative provision precluding HAP supported households contributing towards the monthly rent to their landlord beyond that of their HAP payment. However, decisions in relation to HAP, including the suitability of HAP accommodation, is solely a matter for the local authority concerned and local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that tenancies are sustainable and are advised not to provide HAP support to tenancies where the household would not be in a position to meet the rental costs being sought.

Each local authority now has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% (in place since 11 July 2022) above the prescribed maximum rent limit to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it, or up to 50% in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. The additional discretion available to homeless households recognises the difficulty this cohort of households face in sourcing and securing properties in a highly competitive rental market. Local authorities can also apply a couple rate to a single person household for new tenancies, where required, in recognition of the shared one-bed need.

A separate review of the discretion available to Homeless HAP tenancies in Dublin, which is up to 50% above the prescribed maximum rent limits, is currently being undertaken by my Department, in conjunction with the Housing Agency.