Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Based on CSO and PRTB figures, rents have reduced by 13% since January and a full 20% in the past 12 months. Even since we introduced the reduction, rents have reduced by another 3%. There is scope on this issue. Some 23,000 properties are available for rent so there is plenty of scope for people to negotiate, as they have done successfully. I am well aware of the Dublin City Council case because I saw it in the answer to a recent question. It has achieved savings in the rent it pays and if one is doing this on a wider level - paying to a landlord directly - of course one will be able to get those kinds of savings. The rent supplement is not paid directly to landlords; it is paid directly to the tenants who seek supplementary assistance. The responsibility for housing rests with the housing authorities and rents with the local authorities. We continue to put pressure on them to ensure this message gets across. This is why I referred to working with the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran. We want to transfer people out of rent supplement into RAS.

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