Humphreys, Kevin

Rent Supplement Scheme Administration

I thank Deputy O'Dea for his question. He is probably aware that approximately 71,800 people currently receive rent supplement. Of particular interest to Deputy O'Dea is the fact that there are a...

There is considerable experience within local community welfare offices and we have been in regular contact with them on this issue. As recently as this week, we contacted officers on the ground...

We must be extremely careful, however, not to give landlords a charter to increase rents. There are many low-income families and individuals in the private rental market and there is a significa...

I am aware of the difficulties which exist throughout the country because of the lack of supply. Having said that, families and single people are still moving into the rent supplement scheme. As ...

We were in contact with the regional managers in July to explain the flexibility that can be exercised and yesterday the Tánaiste spoke to them again about that issue. We have also communicated ...

The majority of those in receipt of rent supplement are single parents with one child or single people. On the issue of flexibility, I will ensure that it is being exercised. However, if the Depu...

I thank the Deputy. The Deputy's question stems from a newspaper article in The Mirror on the percentages. We do not set rent allowances on the basis of what appears in The Mirror<...

There have been more than 300 applicants in relation to the protocol and it can be extended. To give the Deputy two direct answers to two direct questions, "Yes", and "We are very aware". There i...

I agree with Deputy Ó Snodaigh that we do not want to create false rent inflation by having the Department of Social Protection set a floor from which landlords then build a greater and higher re...

I agree with the Deputy that local authorities should negotiate. That is what is proposed in HAP to which the Deputy objected and which he opposed when it was going through the House. HAP will pr...

The High Court judgment did not find that the scheme as operated denies children their right to care of both their parents. As acknowledged in the judgment, the legislation provides that decision ...

The Department is reviewing the implications of the case and, if appropriate, revised guidelines will issue to staff. There are many criteria applying to rent supplement. Where there is a need,...

I do not know whether the Department has the statistics the Deputy requested. If we have them, I will forward them to him. The Deputy is correct about the figure of more than 88,000. As the Depu...

The Department is reviewing the implications of the case and that should be carried out within a reasonable amount of time. With regard to the Equal Status Act and the technical review being under...

The Government decided in 1997 to approve the redevelopment of Ballymun and a regeneration programme commenced in 1998. The provision of rent supplement in the Ballymun designated area was identif...

In response to the concerns about achieving a tenure balance mix, Section 25 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 provided that a payment of rent supplement can be refused in respect of ac...

The Department was advised that there was broad consensus on the need for the rent supplement restrictions in Ballymun to protect the significant exchequer investment in the area. Dublin City Cou...

It should be noted that the measures provided for in Section 25 are not a blanket refusal of rent supplement in areas of regeneration. Specific provision is made to ensure that:

- people already residing in such areas and in receipt of rent supplement may continue to receive payment; and

- people already residing in such areas in private rental accommodation and who may have recourse to rent supplement in the future would not have their entitlement restricted.

The lifting of the condition for rent supplement with respect to the Ballymun regeneration area is a matter for my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.

  Question No. 52 withdrawn.

Rent Supplement Scheme Administration (Continued)

The priority is to ensure we keep people in their homes. There is a very useful and worthwhile protocol operating successfully within the Dublin area. I intend to look at where that could be exte...

What I am saying to the Deputy is that I will look at that element of it and ensure there is flexibility, but I also want to ensure there is continuity nationally and that it is operated on the s...

It is an excellent scheme that was introduced to this House by the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. The pilot has been successful and it is now being rolled out to the remaining local authorities....

I very much look forward to the Deputy's support on this, and I welcome his change of mind on it.

The Deputy looked for excuses to oppose every item of legislation at every hand's turn.

I am wondering how many times I can answer the same questions in a different manner. I know the Deputy's interest is in the Kildare area. The regional managers within the Kildare area were met by...

With regard to Kildare specifically, I ask anyone who is currently in difficulty to recontact the community welfare services, which will have received correspondence from myself and the Departmen...

It is a very serious issue and people are extremely worried and anxious in this regard. It is witnessed in every clinic held by Deputies or councillors. We have given instructions in this regar...

I am well aware of this issue. I am sure every Deputy deals with queries from outside their own constituencies on all issues. I accept there is particular difficulty in the greater Dublin area bu...

While there are no plans at present to extend the protocol to the Kildare area, the front-line staff have been told to take into consideration the local market forces and to do everything within ...

I am not too certain of that, although I will look at it with a small group. My experience, certainly in my Dublin city centre constituency, is that the vast number of those taking rent supplement...

As Deputy Durkan outlined, there is a real problem of rent inflation within the city centre and we are in constant communication in that regard. I have seen this in the Ringsend-Pearse Street ar...

I am not sure if Deputy Wallace was in the House when I explained this, but we have written to the front-line staff this week, asking them to operate under section 38 and to utilise the flexibili...

Where that is not in operation, we are looking for a direct connection with community welfare services. My experience is that the people on the ground have a good understanding of what is happenin...

  Written Answers follow Adjournment.

Private Rented Accommodation Costs

We discussed this at length earlier on. By the way, I take this opportunity to point out that Deputy Ó Snodaigh did in fact vote for that and I am happy to correct the record. I know he had many ...

I explained to Deputy Boyd Barrett previously that in the particular case, Threshold did not work, but in the past week we have been working to ensure consistency of service and that flexibility is...

Private Rented Accommodation Costs (Continued)

The Deputy is correct that I cannot intervene, but I did not intervene. What I was seeking was a consistency of service and quality of services. By and large the best people to understand the loc...

It is a difficult issue. One solution does not fit every area, which is why there are a number of rent caps across the country. However, I assure the Deputy that we are monitoring this on a wee...

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has launched a medium and long-term investment of €2.3 billion in social housing. There is also a short-term problem. It is a comp...

However, we must be careful that we do not create rent inflation for young families who are working and renting in the private sector, so they can no longer afford it, as well as students seeking...

Social Welfare Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (Continued)

I welcome Deputy Clare Daly's confirmation that she intends to bring her concerns and her information to the Pensions Authority. That would be helpful. She might have more information on the matt...

In fairness to the Tánaiste, she has spent 13 hours on the Social Welfare Bill through this-----

She has been here for over 13 hours.

The Deputy should be fair to the Tánaiste.

She should have some sense of fairness, at least.

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 56 together.

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are u...

I am keeping the matter regarding rent limits under consideration and the review being undertaken by the Department will be finalised shortly. The Department is in a position of both significant ...

Central to the current supply issue is that rent supplement policy must provide flexibility. I can assure the Deputies that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have cons...

Rent supplement payments are being made in excess of the maximum limits throughout the county, including over 240 cases under the Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol, in order to maintain tenanc...

I strongly advise that where a person in receipt of rent supplement is at risk of losing their tenancy they should make contact with the Tenancy Protection Service provided by Threshold on 1800 4...

Unemployment Data

I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 45 together.

  The Government’s primary strategy to reduce long-term and youth unemployment has been through policies to create the enviro...

Back to Work Allowance Data

The Back to Work schemes, the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) and the Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) assist those on certain social welfare payments who wish to become self-employ...

Work Placement Programmes

JobBridge was introduced to provide opportunities for jobseekers to gain real workplace experience and is not an unemployment support payment. As at 4 December, 2014, 35,833 individual internships...

Tús, the community work placement initiative introduced during 2011, was established to provide short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. As of the ...

A key feature of Tús is that selection is undertaken by random processes conducted at local level by the Department. The selection is focused on those on the Live Register for a year or more and...

The operation of all schemes funded by the Department are monitored with a view to making any necessary improvements and to ensure they operate to take account of any changes arising on other sch...

Exceptional Needs Payments

Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person c...

In 2012 a Departmental working group made up of staff from the Community Welfare Service reviewed the existing ENP guidelines with a view to, in so far as possible, achieve standardisation and co...

While expenditure under the scheme has reduced in recent years, the scheme is demand led and continues to provide assistance to those with exceptional needs taking into account the requirements o...