54. (1) The Act of 2005 is amended in section 196 by inserting the following after subsection (2):

“(3) A person who is in receipt of any benefit, assistance or supplement under this Act from which a deduction is being made in respect of payment of rent or rent arrears under section 53 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 shall not be entitled to claim for supplementary welfare allowance under this section in respect of the monies so deducted.”,

(2) The Act of 2005 is amended in section 198—

(a) in subsection (3F), by substituting “Subject to subsection (3FB), a person shall not be entitled to a payment” for “A person shall not be entitled to a payment”, and

(b) by inserting the following after subsection (3F):

“(3FA) Subject to subsection (3FB), a person shall not be entitled to a payment referred to in subsection (3) unless, and subject to subsection (3H), on the making of the application, a designated person is satisfied that the person is a bona fide tenant, and—

(a) subject to subsection (3G) where applicable, was in receipt of a payment referred to in subsection (3) in respect of another tenancy immediately before the making of the application or was in receipt of the payment within a specified period as prescribed,

(b) has been residing, for the period that is prescribed, in rented accommodation in respect of which—

(i) there was at the commencement of the tenancy, an expectation that, in so far as was reasonable in all the circumstances, the person could pay the rent into the future, and

(ii) the person was in a position to pay the rent at the commencement of the tenancy,

and subsequent to the commencement of the tenancy the person has experienced a substantial change in his or her circumstances and is unable to pay the rent and such change in circumstances has not been caused by that person, or

(c) has been residing, for the period that is prescribed—

(i) in accommodation for homeless persons as provided under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988, or

(ii) in an institution,

except where the household of which the person is a member is determined to be qualified for social housing support by a housing authority under a social housing assessment pursuant to section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.

(3FB) (a) Subsection (3F) shall apply, where appropriate, except in respect of a case to which paragraph (b) relates.

(b) Subsection (3FA) shall apply to a person where—

(i) regulations made under section 50 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provide that a specified housing authority shall apply Part 4 of that Act in respect of a specified class of household, and

(ii) he or she is a member of a household within such a class of household and the specified authority is the housing authority for the household for the purposes of Part 4 of that Act.”

(3) The Act of 2005 is amended in section 198 by inserting the following after subsection (3F):

“(3G) (a) (i) A person in receipt of a payment under subsection (3) in respect of a continuous period that is not shorter than a prescribed period shall—

(I) on being requested to do so in writing by a designated person, apply to the housing authority concerned for social housing support for his or her household and, as a consequence, for a social housing assessment to be carried out under section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and

(II) subject to subparagraph (ii), within 6 weeks of that request by a designated person, provide to the designated person confirmation that the household has forwarded a duly completed application form for social housing support to that authority for the purpose of a social housing assessment being so carried out.

(ii) The designated person may, where he or she is satisfied that an extension of time is justified in a particular case, extend the period referred to in subparagraph (i)(II) for a further period that shall not, in any case, exceed 6 weeks.

(iii) Where a person to whom subparagraph (i) applies fails to duly provide the confirmation in accordance with subparagraph (i)(II) or with that subparagraph and subparagraph (ii), then he or she shall cease to be entitled to a payment under subsection (3) when the period referred to in subparagraph (i)(II) or subparagraph (ii), as the case may be, has expired.

(b) A person in receipt of a payment under subsection (3) shall cease to be entitled to such a payment where a housing authority notifies the Minister that the household of which the person is a member has failed to duly supply to the authority additional information that the authority requested for the purposes of verifying information, for the purposes of a social housing assessment under section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, that relates to the household’s application for social housing support.

(3H) A person in receipt of a payment under subsection (3) shall cease to be entitled to such a payment where a housing authority determines that the household of which the person is a member is qualified for social housing support and the authority notifies the Minister that—

(a) social housing support is being provided to that household,

(b) housing assistance under Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 is an appropriate form of support for that household and the household has done or failed to do anything in consequence of which the household has not taken up that form of social housing support, or

(c) by virtue of the operation of section 20(5B) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the household is ineligible for social housing support for a period prescribed under that enactment.”.

(4) The Act of 2005 is amended in section 290A—

(a) by substituting the following for subsection (1):

“290A. (1) This section applies to a beneficiary who is—

(a) a tenant of a housing body, or

(b) a tenant of a dwelling that is the subject of housing assistance under section 39 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014,

and who is entitled to a benefit prescribed under this section.”,

(b) by substituting the following for subsection (4):

“(4) A deduction and payment made pursuant to this section shall cease—

(a) where the beneficiary—

(i) ceases, upon his or her death or otherwise, to be a tenant of a housing body,

(ii) ceases, upon his or her death or otherwise, to be a tenant of a dwelling that is the subject of housing assistance under section 39 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, or

(iii) otherwise ceases to be entitled to a benefit prescribed under this section,

or

(b) where such deduction and payment are discontinued in accordance with this section.”,

and

(c) in subsection (7), by substituting “as amended by the Local Government Reform Act 2014” for “amended by section 8 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009”.