Rent Supplement in Dept. of Limbo

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Wednesday February 04, 2004 18:14

by Fergus

newsforthedeaf at yahoo dot com

Refocused into the future where it can be forgotten about

On Monday, the cuts to rent allowance kicked in.
"It was presented to us as a fait accompli. By then it was already decided" - Dept. of the Environment spokesman.
Government negligence ?
Or is there a method behind the apparent incompetency ?

Back in January I phoned the Dept. of Social & Family Affairs, in an attempt to find out WHY rent allowance cuts were being introduced.
After been told numerous answers to different questions, put on hold (X 10), transfered and not phoned back by what sounded like a bunch of office cowboys,
I was 'informed' that the rent allowance scheme was being "refocused" and that from now on the Dept. of the Environment would hold responsibility.
What a load of bullshit, I thought....
However, that was the 'official' answer.

On Monday, the rent allowance cuts kicked in.

On Tuesday [Feb 3rd 04], The Irish "a bit late now" Times reported that
The first time Social & Family Affairs Minister Ms. Coughlin spoke of the issue to anyone in the Dept. of the Environment was the day before she publicly announced cuts to rent allowance [Nov. 12th 03]

No Prior Consultation
"It was presented to us as a fait accompli. By then it was already decided"
- Dept. of the Environment spokesman.

However, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act indicate Ms. Coughlin met Mr. McCreevy on a number of occasions and that her officials were in contact with officials of his Dept. on a regular basis from June to November last year.

Was the Minister so obsessed with kick starting cutbacks with the Minister of Finance that she forgot her other duties ?
Why didn't she work out contingency plans with the Dept. of the Environment to take over the provision of housing for those who HAD been eligible for rent allowance ?

Is it through negligence that supplementary welfare allowance has ended up in the Irish governments Dept. of Limbo ?

Or is there a method behind the apparent incompetency ?

Check the related link, for wild unexpert interpretations to the reasons WHY.

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Comments (3 of 3)

The problem

by Laura

Thu Feb 05, 2004 18:29

shoegirl at eircom dot net

I think the problem is much deeper than the current cuts. Lots of people are systematically turned down for rent allowance on utterly spurious grounds.

The real problem is that rent allowance is not a statutory benefit - you are not "entitled" to it - they give it to you if they "feel" you need it. In fairness the reality was that SWA was being widely abused, and the problem was that people were getting it when they had alternative accomodation (such as the family home). The idea was to prevent this abuse.

The answer is a proper statory housing benefit system that answers the real need, funded by the same people who are responsible for social housing (i.e. local authorities). If they had to pay out the huge amount in rents the health boards do, they would suddenly start making realistic attempts to build social housing. If they did this then the profile of social housing tenants would climb (instead of the current slide into the most impoverished folks only), and those who would afford higher rents could subsidise those on lower rents. The reality at the moment is that every taxpayer is currently paying rent allowance - including, ironically, the very landlords who take it!

The answer

by F

Thu Feb 05, 2004 20:50

If they had to.....
If they did this.....

If only I had a roof over my head.....
If only I wasn't homeless.....

Don't leave it to the experts

Sat Feb 07, 2004 18:45

Groups Unite to fight rent supplement cut

13 organisations - among them Threshold, the Simon Community, the One Parent Exchange Network (OPEN) and the Irish Refugee Council - are renewing their campaign to oppose the cut.

After meeting Ms. Coughlin on Wednesday [4th Feb] the Minister has agreed to review the implementation of recent cuts in rent supplement - 'so as to protect those most at risk from hardship'.

Organisations in the "Community and Voluntary Pillar" [of Social Partnership] say they made a breakthrough on this and other cutbacks during talks with the Minister on Wednesday [4th Feb].

A Review Group

Senior officials from Social & Family Affairs Dept. and the Dept. of the Taoiseach and the Environment together with trade unions and community groups are to form a review group.

Anyone know more about the review group ?
When is their first meeting ?
Or will the issue be refocused into the future where it can be conveniently forgotten about ?

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Rent Supplement in Dept. of Limbo

Comments (3 of 3)