Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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457. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of local authorities that consider carers allowance payments as income and include it in the calculation for social housing rent reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56558/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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. Accordingly, decisions regarding the sources of income, such as Carer's Allowance, included and disregarded for rent assessment purposes are matters solely for individual local authorities. I have no role in this regard.

My Department does not hold information on which local authorities include or disregard Carer's Allowance for rent assessment purposes. This information is available form the individual local authorities concerned.