Vol. 486 No. 3
218 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his and his Department's attention has been drawn to the total number of persons in respect of whom monthly rent subsidy is being paid towards the cost of private rented accommodation; if he will provide the necessary local authority housing to meet the needs of these people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2725/98]
219 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the total cost for the last 12 months of the rent supplement paid by health boards to local authority housing applicants in lieu of housing accommodation; if he will provide the capital necessary to meet the housing requirements of these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2726/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together.
Overall responsibility for the SWA scheme rests with the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.
The assessment of housing need carried out by local authorities on 29 March, 1996 identified 2,207 households who were seeking local authority housing but whose housing needs were being met by rent supplementation under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme operated by health boards. Apart from those who applied for local authority housing, there are an unquantified number of further households, who but for SWA rent supplementation, would have looked to local authorities to meet their housing needs. The rent supplementation scheme has been shown to be the most appropriate and cost effective means of providing housing for certain categories of people who are unable to meet their housing needs from their own resources, for example, single people.
The Government is committed to continuing the local authority housing programme at a high level as evidenced by the increased provision made for the programme in the 1998 public capital programme.
