Ms Helen Faughnan:

We will definitely feed that information back into the review this time. We can set out the current limits. It might also be useful for the Deputy if, ahead of the rent review, we provided information on the rent supplement tenants who are in receipt of support in the area.

I reassure Senator Moloney that we are aware of every area in the country. The staff based in Sligo know the highways and byways of Ireland through their work. We are aware of the county borders and that some discretion is being applied in that regard. We will take the various comments on board as part of the review, as this is an important matter. Under law, discretion is nominally applied on the Minister's behalf. Each local member of staff has that discretion. He or she need not go up the line seeking approval. An immediate response is possible.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh mentioned our budgetary envelope. The caps are set in line with the market. When we conduct our research and feed information in, we set a level that we believe is reasonable in terms of the market. We do not just bear in mind the taxpayer. We in the Department are conscious of the fact that we are the front-line support for the country's many vulnerable people. We take this responsibility seriously.

In terms of recipients, there has been a decrease in customer numbers. In 2010, there were more than 97,000 rent supplement recipients. In April of this year, the number was 85,800. This has reduced the pressure on our budgetary envelope as part of the Estimates process. It is a demand-led scheme. If our budget must be extended, we will negotiate with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh raised the issue of single men in split parenting arrangements. Every claim for rent supplement is determined with regard to an applicant's circumstances. Our staff - formerly CWOs - would engage with the person seeking the payment. We must be satisfied that whatever rental accommodation the person is seeking is suited to the residential needs of the applicant and his or her claimant. Due to a large number of marriage and relationship break-ups, there are split parenting arrangements. If a married or cohabiting couple has split, a man or woman is residing in the family home and the other partner, who is working and renting a two-bedroom or three-bedroom house or apartment, has visiting or access rights but then loses his or her job, we will not make his or her situation any worse. We will meet the accommodation needs.

Although I would not call it a trend, we are aware of some instances of single men seeking to leave their family homes and asking us for two-bedroom accommodation where they have no history of access arrangements in respect of their children.

We must be aware of various situations. Staff engage with customers, explore the issues and examine housing needs, particularly those of the children involved. Each case is decided on its merits.