I propose to take Questions Nos. 374 and 375 together.
The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At end Q4 2020 there were nearly 60,000 households in receipt of HAP and over 33,520 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.
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.
Data in relation to the number of active HAP tenancies and funding provided by the State in 2019 and 2020, broken down by local authority area, can be found on my Department's website at this link:
https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#housing-assistance-payment
This funding represents the portion paid by my Department after receipt of the differential rent which is paid by the tenant to the local authority. It does not include administration costs related to the Scheme.
The overall cost of supporting the HAP Scheme to the Exchequer for the period 2015-2020 is outlined in the table below:
Year
|
Additional Households supported at end of year
|
No. of LAs operating HAP Scheme
|
Outturn €M
|
2015
|
5,680
|
18
|
15.64
|
2016
|
12,075
|
28
|
57.69
|
2017
|
17,916
|
31
|
152.69
|
2018
|
17,926
|
31
|
276.6
|
2019
|
17,025
|
31
|
382.4
|
2020
|
15,885
|
31
|
464.6
|
The table below shows the number of households who were in receipt of HAP support from 2015 to 2018, broken down by local authority.
Local Authority
|
Active HAP Tenancies @ Q4 2015
|
Active HAP Tenancies @ Q4 2016
|
Active HAP Tenancies @ Q4 2017
|
Active HAP Tenancies @ Q4 2018
|
Carlow County Council
|
106
|
435
|
581
|
706
|
Cavan County Council
|
|
|
131
|
275
|
Clare County Council
|
236
|
955
|
1,193
|
1,335
|
Cork City Council
|
111
|
984
|
1,625
|
2,063
|
Cork County Council
|
900
|
1,774
|
2,647
|
3,339
|
Donegal County Council
|
492
|
1,317
|
1,627
|
1,729
|
Dublin City Council
|
56
|
831
|
3,429
|
6,331
|
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council
|
|
|
165
|
388
|
Fingal County Council
|
|
|
488
|
1,286
|
Galway City Council
|
|
332
|
919
|
1,351
|
Galway County Council
|
7
|
379
|
728
|
981
|
Kerry County Council
|
|
7
|
427
|
898
|
Kildare County Council
|
32
|
786
|
1,436
|
1,892
|
Kilkenny County Council
|
498
|
717
|
836
|
869
|
Laois County Council
|
|
|
316
|
657
|
Leitrim County Council
|
|
3
|
95
|
208
|
Limerick City & County Council
|
1,056
|
1,526
|
1,948
|
2,175
|
Longford County Council
|
|
1
|
128
|
291
|
Louth County Council
|
641
|
1,232
|
1,969
|
2,643
|
Mayo County Council
|
18
|
402
|
817
|
1,120
|
Meath County Council
|
14
|
485
|
1,220
|
1,740
|
Monaghan County Council
|
176
|
305
|
437
|
530
|
Offaly County Council
|
95
|
302
|
684
|
845
|
Roscommon County Council
|
|
|
171
|
354
|
Sligo County Council
|
9
|
203
|
467
|
648
|
Sth Dublin County Council
|
563
|
1,468
|
2,180
|
2,605
|
Tipperary County Council
|
188
|
1,018
|
1,633
|
1,767
|
Waterford City & County Council
|
655
|
1,027
|
1,605
|
1,833
|
Westmeath County Council
|
|
|
366
|
656
|
Wexford County Council
|
|
1
|
536
|
1,020
|
Wicklow County Council
|
|
3
|
424
|
908
|
Total
|
5,853
|
16,493
|
31,228
|
43,443
|