Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for the question and her helpful suggestions, which I will consider. I would be happy to arrange for senior officials to meet the Deputy to take her through the details of the scheme if she wishes. As to her question, this is a new scheme. I expect 4,000 households will be facilitated under the rental accommodation scheme by the end of 2005. This year, I have transferred €19 million from my Department to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to enable the process to get under way. I am disappointed that no one has yet been housed under this scheme. However, I am assured that this will begin in the coming weeks and I urge all concerned to make better progress than is currently being made.

The evidence I have on file demonstrates that there is an increased reliance on rent supplements. In a sense, the numbers are frightening in that the number of people who are in receipt of rent supplement has increased by 35% in four years, from 42,000 to almost 60,000. The taxpayer is now paying €370 million into that scheme, compared with €150 million in 2000. The evidence behind those figures shows that people are beginning to rely on rent supplement as a permanent means of housing.

Therefore, it was decided that once a person spent 18 months in receipt of rent supplement, the Department would transfer him or her to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government who would have responsibility for finding permanent accommodation by whatever means possible, principally through a more permanent type of rental scheme.

Some 30,000 people, which is a large number, have been in receipt of rent supplement for more than 18 months. Therefore, through the funding I provided, I expect the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government as well as local authorities to move on and start to facilitate those people. The number of 4,000 is the target for the end of this year, but we have some distance to go.

See this speech in context