I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 121, 124, 130 and 136 together.
There are currently approximately 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Department has provided over €344 million for 2014. Almost 30,000 of these recipients are in the Dublin area,
The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer.
Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme have been implemented with effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December 2014. The new rent limits were determined following an extensive review of the private rental market based on the most up-to-date data available. The purpose of the rent limit review is to ensure availability of accommodation for rent supplement tenancies and not to provide rent supplement tenants with access to all housing in all areas while ensuring that maximum value for money for tenants and the taxpayer is achieved.
There have been increases in the maximum rent limits in Dublin and Galway while there have been some reductions across a number of rural counties reflecting the conditions in the rental markets in those counties. Separate to the county limits, higher rent limits have been provided for in North Kildare and Bray areas. Statistics are not available in relation to the tenancies that were reviewed downwards as a result of reductions in rent supplement maximum limits. However, the attached tabular statement provides details of the changes in maximum rent limits for each county that came into effect following the rent reviews of January 2012 and June 2013. The current maximum rent limits for each county is also provided. Special provisions are made in exceptional circumstances including, for example, people with disabilities in specially adapted accommodation or homeless persons.
There has been a reduction in the number of recipients of rent supplement by almost 8,000 from December 2012 to the current date. Statistics are not maintained on the number of applications received for rent supplement.
The Department continues to monitor trends in the private rental market to determine the impact on rent supplement recipients. The fact that approximately 80,000 people are currently in receipt of rent supplement shows that a significant number of landlords are accommodating applicants of the scheme and that rent supplement recipients are able to access accommodation within the current limits. Department officials dealing with rent supplement tenants continue to make every effort to ensure that their accommodation needs are met and that the residence is reasonably suited to their residential and other needs.
Policy and analysis in relation to social housing provision and homelessness are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government. However this Department has a role in providing income support to persons who are homeless and is represented on the National Homelessness Consultative Committee. Under the social welfare system, homeless people have entitlements to the full range of social welfare schemes, including supplementary welfare allowance and associated supplements, subject to the normal qualifying conditions.
The Department, through its work in the Homeless Persons Unit and the Asylum Seekers & New Communities Unit, also works closely with local authorities and other stakeholders to facilitate homeless persons to access private rented accommodation. This ensures that where possible, people are diverted away from homeless services and towards community-based supports.
The Department’s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support. In July 2013 the Government approved the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities using HAP. Officials in the Department of Social protection are working with those in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, who are leading the project, in developing proposals to give effect to this transfer. It is intended that the scheme will be piloted in early 2014 in Limerick local authority with further roll out to selected authorities during the year.
Table 1: Change in maximum rent limits from June 2010 to January 2012
County:
|
Single Shared
|
Couple Shared
|
Single
|
Couple
|
Couple/
One Parent Family - 1 Child
|
Couple/
One Parent Family - 2 Children
|
Couple/
One Parent Family - 3 Children
|
Dublin - Fingal
|
(€100)
|
(€60)
|
(€54)
|
(€120)
|
(€155)
|
(€175)
|
(€150)
|
Dublin - Not Fingal
|
(€90)
|
(€30)
|
(€54)
|
(€100)
|
(€55)
|
(€125)
|
(€150)
|
CARLOW
|
(€30)
|
(€50)
|
(€118)
|
(€50)
|
(€50)
|
(€75)
|
(€70)
|
CAVAN
|
(€35)
|
(€10)
|
(€43)
|
(€50)
|
(€50)
|
(€70)
|
(€60)
|
CLARE
|
(€30)
|
(€50)
|
(€57)
|
(€70)
|
(€100)
|
(€125)
|
(€150)
|
CORK
|
(€25)
|
(€10)
|
(€18)
|
(€35)
|
(€5)
|
(€50)
|
(€50)
|
DONEGAL
|
(€40)
|
(€40)
|
(€53)
|
(€105)
|
(€110)
|
(€100)
|
(€60)
|
GALWAY
|
(€25)
|
(€10)
|
(€18)
|
(€10)
|
(€20)
|
(€50)
|
(€35)
|
KERRY
|
(€45)
|
(€20)
|
(€42)
|
(€110)
|
(€30)
|
(€90)
|
(€50)
|
KILDARE
|
(€50)
|
(€35)
|
(€85)
|
(€100)
|
(€60)
|
(€125)
|
(€110)
|
KILKENNY
|
(€60)
|
(€70)
|
(€78)
|
(€90)
|
(€60)
|
(€75)
|
(€75)
|
LAOIS
|
(€35)
|
(€10)
|
(€17)
|
(€85)
|
(€70)
|
(€85)
|
(€60)
|
LEITRIM
|
(€15)
|
(€5)
|
(€68)
|
(€65)
|
(€50)
|
(€75)
|
(€100)
|
LIMERICK
|
(€35)
|
(€20)
|
(€56)
|
(€70)
|
(€105)
|
(€75)
|
(€50)
|
LONGFORD
|
(€35)
|
(€25)
|
(€45)
|
(€25)
|
(€60)
|
(€60)
|
(€70)
|
LOUTH
|
(€55)
|
(€6)
|
(€78)
|
(€99)
|
(€25)
|
(€85)
|
(€50)
|
MAYO
|
(€25)
|
(€10)
|
(€60)
|
(€55)
|
(€100)
|
(€125)
|
(€110)
|
MEATH
|
(€60)
|
(€5)
|
(€78)
|
(€100)
|
(€100)
|
(€90)
|
(€75)
|
MONAGHAN
|
(€15)
|
(€10)
|
(€68)
|
(€40)
|
(€20)
|
(€40)
|
(€25)
|
OFFALY
|
(€20)
|
(€20)
|
(€62)
|
(€85)
|
(€50)
|
(€50)
|
(€25)
|
ROSCOMMON
|
(€15)
|
€0
|
(€70)
|
(€50)
|
(€50)
|
(€70)
|
(€40)
|
SLIGO
|
(€25)
|
(€20)
|
(€67)
|
(€60)
|
(€20)
|
(€10)
|
(€50)
|
TIPPERARY NTH
|
(€65)
|
(€65)
|
(€62)
|
(€75)
|
(€140)
|
(€140)
|
(€130)
|
TIPPERARY STH
|
(€55)
|
(€35)
|
(€98)
|
(€30)
|
(€30)
|
(€105)
|
(€100)
|
WATERFORD
|
(€40)
|
(€30)
|
(€78)
|
(€70)
|
(€50)
|
(€110)
|
(€70)
|
WESTMEATH
|
(€30)
|
(€50)
|
(€17)
|
(€30)
|
(€50)
|
(€70)
|
(€70)
|
WEXFORD
|
(€30)
|
(€50)
|
(€78)
|
(€90)
|
(€60)
|
(€85)
|
(€70)
|
WICKLOW
|
(€75)
|
(€35)
|
(€89)
|
(€185)
|
(€225)
|
(€230)
|
(€170)
|
Note: Figures in brackets show a reduction in the rent limit for the category.