Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has questioned the low level of HAP discretionary payments granted in Donegal, which falls far below the national average.
The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. Each local authority in Ireland has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 20% above the prescribed maximum rent limit to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it.
Deputy Pringle said: “In light of reports showing Donegal with some of the highest rent increases in the country, I’ve called on Donegal County Council to review existing HAP tenancies to determine whether flexibility should be granted to those tenancies now.”
He has also asked the council for clarity on how discretion is applied.
The deputy is calling on the Minister for Housing to explain the delay in his review of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and for action to be taken immediately to increase HAP thresholds.
Every local authority has discretion to approve a HAP payment up to 20 per cent above the prescribed rent limit to secure appropriate accommodation for a household in need, and more in the case of homeless households in the Dublin area.
In response to a parliamentary question to the Minister for Housing from Deputy Pringle, the department reported that at the end of 2021, when the additional discretion available to homeless households in the Dublin area was removed, it showed 51.2 per cent of households nationally benefitted from the additional flexibility, with an average rate of discretionary payment at 17.3 per cent above the relevant limit.
At end 2021, there were 1,792 households actively in receipt of HAP support in Donegal. 12% of the total number of households being supported by HAP in Donegal were benefiting from the additional flexibility. In those cases, the average rate of discretionary payment being used was 19.9% above rent limits provided.
Deputy Pringle said: “Why this figure is so far below the average when we’ve seen rents climb in Donegal? It seems totally arbitrary.” The deputy also said the high level of discretionary payments nationally shows how the system is failing tenants.
The deputy said: “If more than 50 per cent of HAP tenancies involve using that discretion, it seems clear that limits are being set too low. There’s something wrong with that system.”
The minister said the Housing Agency carried out an analysis on whether an increase in the level of the 20 per cent discretion is required, and said the review was submitted in December 2021 and is undergoing analysis by his department.
Deputy Pringle said: “The reality is they’re probably going to leave this to September or October for budget time, which means we’re into next year. That’s not acceptable for people who are struggling with rising rents and inadequate supports.
“The department is also supposed to be looking at the thresholds for eligibility for the housing list, and if they increase those, the list will increase exponentially. It’s another sign of a housing policy that is an absolute failure,” he said.
