The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently over 86,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013. The Department does not maintain statistics of the amount of rent supplement paid by local authority area. The total spend on rent supplement for the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and the estimate for 2013 are provided in the following tabular statement. Details of the number of recipients of rent supplement by county at the end of 2010, 2011, 2012 and end March 2013 are also provided in the tabular statement.
Tabular Statement
Year
|
Expenditure on Rent Supplement
('000)
|
2010
|
€516,538
|
2011
|
€502,748
|
2012 (Provisional Outturn)
|
€422,717
|
2013 (Estimate)
|
€403,400
|
Tabular Statement
Number of Rent Supplement Recipients by County, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, (End March)
-
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
End March
|
Carlow
|
1,484
|
1,440
|
1,239
|
1,194
|
Cavan
|
1,029
|
843
|
519
|
513
|
Clare
|
1,937
|
1,961
|
1,722
|
1,701
|
Cork
|
10,988
|
10,732
|
9,878
|
9,664
|
Donegal
|
3,194
|
2,977
|
2,411
|
2,333
|
Dublin
|
33,818
|
34,423
|
32,584
|
32,114
|
Galway
|
4,829
|
4,615
|
4,134
|
4,151
|
Kerry
|
2,339
|
2,278
|
2,037
|
1,995
|
Kildare
|
4,409
|
4,447
|
4,338
|
4,420
|
Kilkenny
|
1,577
|
1,619
|
1,365
|
1,322
|
Laois
|
1,151
|
1,178
|
1,097
|
1,042
|
Leitrim
|
530
|
440
|
374
|
378
|
Limerick
|
3,896
|
3,833
|
3,323
|
3,252
|
Longford
|
715
|
623
|
511
|
522
|
Louth
|
2,563
|
2,734
|
2,549
|
2,509
|
Mayo
|
3,012
|
2,928
|
2,435
|
2,338
|
Meath
|
2,552
|
2,723
|
2,143
|
2,169
|
Monaghan
|
598
|
488
|
438
|
432
|
Offaly
|
1,273
|
1,349
|
1,240
|
1,225
|
Roscommon
|
1,276
|
1,275
|
997
|
943
|
Sligo
|
787
|
698
|
591
|
564
|
Tipperary
|
2,680
|
2,609
|
2,199
|
2,175
|
Waterford
|
2,332
|
2,098
|
1,773
|
1,689
|
Westmeath
|
1,623
|
1,671
|
1,592
|
1,590
|
Wexford
|
4,055
|
4,102
|
3,700
|
3,618
|
Wicklow
|
2,613
|
2,719
|
2,495
|
2,522
|
Total
|
97,260
|
96,803
|
87,684
|
86,375
|