Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
324. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applicants currently in receipt of HAP and RAS in County Mayo from 2016 to 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48334/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area are set out in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The purpose of the SSHA is to capture the total number of households qualified for social housing support across the country whose social housing need has not yet been met, in order to better understand the level of need for such support.
The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support.
Below is the link to the summary reports for 2016 - 2020, which include breakdowns by each local authority, including for County Mayo, across a range of categories:
gov.ie/en/collection/62486-summary-of-social-housing-assessments/.
The table below shows the number of active Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) tenancies in Co. Mayo from 2016 to 2021 (Q2):
|
Scheme |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 (Q2) |
|
HAP |
402 |
817 |
1,120 |
1,280 |
1,356 |
1,376 |
|
RAS |
893 |
866 |
817 |
821 |
799 |
793 |
The HAP and RAS schemes continue to be effective and secure forms of social housing support and remain a part of the suite of social housing options currently available across the country.
The recently published Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade, including an average of 10,000 new build social homes. As new build supply of social housing ramps up, there will be reducing reliance on the HAP and RAS schemes.
