AQW 9514/22-27


Mr Mark Durkan
Social Democratic and Labour Party
Foyle


Tabled Date: 22/03/2024
Answered On Date: 22/04/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities, pursuant to AQW 5805/22-27, to detail (i) when this Equality Impact Assessment will be completed; (ii) how many claimants have lost their Discretionary Housing Payment since August 2023; and (iii) how many of these were also in receipt of a disability benefit.


Answer:
This issue is an operational matter for the Housing Executive. I have sought the requested information from the Chief Executive, who has advised me as follows:
The EQIA process is currently ongoing.
The Housing Executive is unable to confirm the number of customers who have lost their DHP from August 2023, due to the reporting periods that the Housing Benefit system generates; however, between April 2023 & February 2024, 5,697 DHP awards have ended. The Housing Executive has advised that DHPs will end for the following reasons:
When a person changes address, a new DHP application will be required in all cases.
When the Housing Executive becomes aware of a change in the customer’s financial / personal circumstances and is satisfied that this change results in the customer no longer being in financial / medical stress.
When the Housing Executive is satisfied that the customer misrepresented or failed to disclose a material fact (fraudulently or otherwise) and had the true information been available at the time of the decision, no DHP award would have been made.
When a DHP award has been made as the result of an error.
When a person no longer satisfies the conditions of entitlement e.g. their Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing costs end.
When a customer’s shortfall between their eligible rent charge and the rent charged by their landlord is less than £5 per week.
When an award has been in payment for two years.
In answer to the final question the Housing Executive is unable to confirm the number of customers in receipt of a disability benefit who have had their DHP award ended. 
A decision to award a DHP is made and recorded manually as the software used does not record the grounds for the award being made, and takes account of several factors including disability, domestic abuse, risk of homelessness and vulnerability.  In some cases, more than one of these factors may be present.
For any future queries relating to operational matters, you may wish to contact the Housing Executive directly. Making direct contact with the Housing Executive will ensure that you receive the information in the shortest possible timeframe and make best use of public resources.