Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2777. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of rental accommodation scheme tenancies in 2017 and to date in 2018; the estimated full year number for 2018 and 2019; the cost in each year by local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35268/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) introduced in 2005 placed responsibility on local authorities to meet the accommodation needs of people in receipt of Rent Supplement for 18 months or longer, and who are assessed as having a long-term housing need. RAS has provided a more structured, accommodation-based approach to the use of the private rented sector to meet long-term housing need, thereby eliminating dependence on temporary income support payments, i.e. rent supplement.
In the period since RAS commenced in 2005 to the end of December 2017, some 60,338 households have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS and other social housing options. Of this number 34,493 were housed directly under RAS. Data for the years 2011 to 2016 on the number and cost of tenancies funded under the RAS scheme, broken down by local authority, is available on my Department's website at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Data for 2017 is currently being collated by my Department and will be published on my Department’s website in the coming weeks.
The number of RAS tenancies in place at the end of 2017 was 19,755 and expenditure on the scheme in 2017 was just under €143m. As of 31 May 2018, there are 19,388 tenancies supported under RAS at a cost of €42.7m. I have provided €134.3 million in Budget 2018 to support the cost of RAS and this funding will go towards supporting 600 additional RAS tenancies in 2018 and the ongoing cost of supporting continuing RAS contracts in place at the end of 2017.
It is not possible at this early stage to accurately predict the number of tenancies that will be supported by RAS at the end of 2018 and 2019 as numbers in RAS vary as contracts end, tenants move on to other properties, landlords join or withdraw from the scheme, new tenancies are allocated or vacancies in contracted units are filled. Furthermore, towards 2021 as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme continues to be rolled out nationally and replaces Rent Supplement completely, it is expected that more RAS tenancies will terminate than will commence. In order to reflect the expected decrease in households being housed through the RAS scheme in the coming 3 years, a national target of 600 new RAS transfers has been set for each of the next 3 years 2018-2020, totalling 1,800 new transfers. This is a reduction on the previous national RAS target of 2,000 for the period 2016/2017, which was achieved by local authorities.
The table below sets out the data available in relation to funding provided by my Department to local authorities in respect of RAS in 2016, 2017 and to the end of May 2018. Funding provided by my Department includes the continuing cost of contractual agreements made by local authorities with landlords under the scheme and the additional cost of new tenancies that are secured during that year.
|
Year |
RAS Tenancies at 31/12 |
RAS Expenditure |
|
2016 |
20,306 |
€130,998,165* |
|
2017 |
19,755 |
€142,837,782** |
|
2018 (to end May) |
19,388 |
€ 42,736,817 |
* An additional €13.9m in RAS recoupment claims was offset against local authority RAS Reserves in 2016
**An additional €1.38m in RAS recoupment claims was offset against local authority RAS reserves in 2017
RAS continues to be an effective and secure form of social housing support, and remains a significant part of the suite of social housing options currently available to those who are assessed as being in need of housing support.
