Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
949. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of persons in east County Cork in receipt of housing assistance payment, HAP by local electoral area, LEA; and the cost of this support. [30796/18]
View answer950. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of persons on rental accommodation scheme, RAS, in east County Cork by local electoral area, LEA; and the cost of this support. [30797/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 949 and 950 together.
My Department does not hold data on Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) tenancies or Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) tenancies by local electoral area, but rather collects data by local authority area.
The number and cost of tenancies supported under RAS for the period 2011 to 2016, broken down by local authority area, is available on my Department’s website at the following link under the Rental Accommodation Scheme heading - www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
Expenditure by Cork County Council on the scheme in 2017 amounted to €6,098,411 and expenditure for the period 1 January to 30 April 2018 was €2,110,667.
882 RAS tenancies were supported by RAS in Cork County Council’s administrative area on 30 April 2018. RAS continues to be an important solution to meet social housing need, but with the national roll-out of HAP now complete, the number of new RAS tenancies commencing will decline.
The number of tenancies supported under HAP for the period 2014 to 2017, broken down by local authority area, is available on my Department’s website at the following link under the Housing Assistance Payment heading - www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
HAP is a flexible and immediate housing support that is now available to all eligible households throughout the State. There are currently over 37,000 households in receipt of HAP and over 20,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme. HAP commenced in Cork County Council on 15 September 2014 and the total numbers of active HAP tenancies at end 2017 was 2,647. The 2017 average monthly rent paid to landlords under the HAP scheme in County Cork was €689.
In respect of the provision of HAP funding, Limerick City and County Council provides a highly effective HAP transactional shared service on behalf of all local authorities. This HAP Shared Services Centre (SSC) manages all HAP related rental transactions for the tenant, local authority and landlord. Accordingly, my Department does not recoup individual local authorities in respect of HAP rental payments in their administrative areas but rather recoups all landlord costs via the HAP SSC.
