Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have two final questions. First, regarding the capital spend, just so I understand the figures correctly, is the €29 million carried over included in the total capital allocation for this year of around €400 million? Second, if it is carried over, does that mean that only an additional €88 million has been spent when the underspend from last year is taken out so that the spend to date is a little less than would otherwise have been the case if all the money had been spent last year? It might be a slightly esoteric question but I would appreciate if the Minister could answer it.

Regarding HAP, and again this is Estimate related, I propose that when the Minister releases the figures at the end of each year he differentiates between the new HAP tenancies and the standing ones for precisely the reasons he has outlined, as I have done. For most of the local authorities that have been running the HAP scheme until now, South Dublin County Council being one of the larger ones, the HAP tenancies have been primarily focused at new entrants into the housing system. That has now changed, and Intreo has been writing to long-term rent supplement recipients since early this year. I suspect, and this is why I am keen to see the figures reflected at a later stage, that when there is a start to moving into the 10,000 HAP tenancies that are the target for this year, the number of new HAP tenancies will reduce as a percentage of the tenancies overall. It would be useful for us to have those figures.

It might not be departmental policy but HAP top-ups, unfortunately, are encouraged. How does the Department intend to advise local authorities to process a claim by HAP recipients when they come to the desk to say they have been paying a top-up? What kind of evidence will they be asked to provide? Will guidance issue to local authorities? While the HAP increases are very welcome, they are still significantly below market rents in some high-need areas by €100 or €200.