Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I can come back on that through a parliamentary question.

When HAP was introduced I remember the debate in 2014. There was a very hot debate in the Dáil because the feeling was that HAP was being introduced to get people off the housing waiting list.

A housing transfer provision was introduced where somebody was regarded as suitably accommodated where HAP was supporting that tenancy. However, we are seeing the housing waiting lists appearing to go down when, in fact, the number of HAP tenancies is going up. In essence, the same number of people must be provided for. Is HAP regarded as a sustainable form of long-term housing? If someone loses a tenancy, he or she must source accommodation himself or herself. For example, in my area HAP for a family of two adults and three children is approximately €1,300 per month, if one can find accommodation. Usually, the family has to pay more than that themselves. Over 30 years, that is €468,000 but with no house at the end of it. It is a very expensive funding mechanism. We have been told by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that by 2022, HAP will cost in the region of €1.7 billion. The more that goes up, the greater the squeeze on the finance needed to build. It then becomes an unsustainable form of housing support. Is it regarded within the Department as sustainable in the long term? Given the new thinking on building, are we likely to see HAP phased out? Is that what the most recent research suggests?