Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 December 2021
315. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of HAP tenancies enacted to date in 2021, by local authority; and the cost of HAP, by local authority, in tabular form. [62507/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At the end of Q3 2021 there were more than 62,000 households in receipt of HAP and over 33,600 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.
Budget 2021 increased the Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme to €558 million. This allows for the continued support of existing HAP households and also enables an additional 15,000 households to be supported by HAP in 2021. HAP expenditure at the end of Q3 2021 was €394 million.
Data in relation to funding provided by the State for HAP tenancies in 2019 and 2020, broken down by local authority area, can be found on my Department's website at this link:
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 table below shows the number of new HAP tenancies, by local authority area, established to the end of Q3 2021.
|
Local authority |
HAP tenancies set up to end of Q3 2021 |
|
Carlow County Council |
102 |
|
Cavan County Council |
101 |
|
Clare County Council |
184 |
|
Cork City Council |
601 |
|
Cork County Council |
551 |
|
Donegal County Council |
210 |
|
Dublin City Council |
2,362 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council |
359 |
|
Fingal County Council |
925 |
|
Galway City Council |
277 |
|
Galway County Council |
222 |
|
Kerry County Council |
335 |
|
Kildare County Council |
373 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
90 |
|
Laois County Council |
165 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
41 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
294 |
|
Longford County Council |
67 |
|
Louth County Council |
526 |
|
Mayo County Council |
154 |
|
Meath County Council |
330 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
87 |
|
Offaly County Council |
83 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
86 |
|
Sligo County Council |
122 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
881 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
256 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
322 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
129 |
|
Wexford County Council |
234 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
242 |
|
Total |
10,711 |
