16 May 2006

Social

Tenants and Rent Supplement

Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the community welfare section of the Health Service Executive is insisting in certain cases that tenants supply proof of the landlords ownership of property in order to receive rent supplement; if her further attention has been drawn to the fact that this is causing hardship to tenants; her views on the alternative of requesting that the section check with the Private Residential Tenancies Board to ensure that such properties are registered.

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Mr. Brennan): The day to day administration of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which provides for the payment of rent supplements, is the responsibility of Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims.

In order to make a rent supplement payment the Executive must satisfy itself that a bona fide tenancy exists in respect of a property for which a rent supplement is sought. In this regard the first step in verifying the tenancy is the completion of the appropriate application forms where the applicant supplies details of the household composition and means. On this application form the landlord must confirm details relating to the address, type of accommodation and the amount of rent being paid. In addition to the application forms, other documents such as rent books/receipts or a copy of the lease agreement may also be requested by the Executive. While the exact extent of the information required in any case is a matter for the Executive, I am satisfied that it would not be possible to award a rent supplement claim without first establishing the identity of the landlord.

My Department is committed to working with the PRTB to help ensure compliance with the new system of tenancy regulation and safeguards. However the suggestion proposed by the Deputy would only serve to delay payments of rent supplement. At the time when many rent supplement claims are being decided the tenancy will not have been registered with the PRTB, as the establishment of the tenancy will be dependent on rent supplement being awarded. I would also point out that there are instances where a tenancy qualifying for rent supplement need not be registered with the PRTB, for example renting a room in a house. In the circumstances, I do not consider that the existing arrangements place undue inconvenience on those wishing to claim rent supplement.