Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have one other question which may not be relevant to this Bill. However, housing is a dominant issue for all of us. If there is one issue about which people consistently approach members, it is housing.

Have the locations for the pilot schemes been selected yet? I presume they will be in areas in respect of which there are lengthy waiting lists for houses. Also, will additional money be made available to support this measure? One of the reasons for the reduction in rent supplement is the cost in that regard to the Department of Social Protection. I presume the rent supplement budget of that Department will transfer to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. If sufficient resources are not currently available to meet the cost of rent supplement, transferring responsibility for it from one Department to another will not change people's experience on the ground, which in some locations is that the rent supplement caps are way below those in the market which means the most vulnerable, people out of work and so on, find it difficult to secure accommodation.

In terms of the transfer, will budgetary issues arise?