Ms Helen Faughnan:

We do not accept that we are not managing the scheme as set out by the Oireachtas, because the discretionary powers we are implementing at this time of crisis are built into the legislation and are part of our preventative measures. There is an awareness in the Department of market rents. It is critical that we are not operating in a bubble. The staff on the ground are aware of the market rents and they are increasing support, where feasible, to meet these rents. For example, at present in Athlone there are only eight three-bedroom properties available to rent. It comes back to the supply issue. As part of the review, we looked at the costings of increasing support right across the board. For example, if we decided we wanted to try to supply 500 extra houses in Dublin, we would be talking about an increased cost of about €63 million annually. The problem was that that would give us very little bang for our buck. The people it would put at risk are low-income workers, who could not compete with this. It is very much a balancing effort. Staff in the Department have been instructed to look at market rents in the area and to meet the needs according to that. I assure members of the committee that we will continue to roll out and to support the rent supplement initiative, on which Mr. O'Rourke is the lead person, as long as is necessary. We will be working with the housing assistance payment homeless pilot in Dublin to ensure this happens.

Deputy Naughten talked about the psychiatric side, which is very disturbing. There is a protocol with the HSE. There is a hospital discharge policy. Under that protocol, staff in hospitals are supposed to get in touch with the local authority placement service, which has direct links with the Department of Social Protection, if the local authority cannot place someone. It is crucial that local staff are working on the ground to make that happen. For example, in the Department of Social Protection, we have a prison in-reach service, for people who are coming out of prison in similar circumstances to hospitals. The Chair raised the issue of lone parents and jobseeker's transitional payment. Each case would be reviewed. If people's incomes have increased, they are working more hours and they are in receipt of the family income supplement, the rent supplement could be reviewed, but it is not a question of closing the rent. Depending on the circumstances of the case, there may be a small reduction in the rent supplement, but, again, depending on the circumstances, if it is necessary to make an increased payment to ensure that a person stays in his or her house, that will happen.