Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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884.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the accommodation recognition payment is taken into account when calculating the differential rent of a tenant in receipt of the housing assistance payment from a local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35764/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Any household assessed as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP.

Under the HAP scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned. The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act.

The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a tax-free payment of €800 per month for each property used to provide accommodation to refugees from Ukraine. The ARP is administered by the Department of Social Protection (DSP).

Due to the nature of the HAP Scheme, where the rent limits are based on household size, there should not generally be unused rooms available in HAP properties. Therefore, these properties are not considered appropriate for pledges of accommodation to refugees from Ukraine.

The right of local authorities to set and collect rents on their dwellings is laid down in section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. The making or amending of such rent schemes is an executive function and is subject to 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 function of administering rent schemes. Decisions regarding how the rent charged is calculated and any increase or decrease in the amount of rent charged and the type of household income that is reckonable or disregarded for rent purposes under each rent scheme is a matter solely for the respective local authorities.