Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department and I are constantly monitoring housing assistance payment data and other key information relating to the private rental market. Indications are that the current HAP rent limits and the flexibility to exceed those rent limits provide local authorities with sufficient capacity to assist households in securing rented accommodation that meets their needs. Indeed, increasing the HAP rent limits in particular local authority areas could have further inflationary effects on the private rented sector, which could have a detrimental impact on the wider rental market, including for those households who are not receiving HAP support. From data available at the end of quarter 4 of 2017, approximately 46% of the total number of households in the Dublin region being supported by HAP were benefitting from the additional flexibility that was provided to local authorities to exceed the maximum rent limits. When the additional discretion available to homeless households is removed, 18.3% of HAP households were benefitting from the additional flexibility. In those cases, the average rate of discretionary payment being applied was 15.4% above rent limits provided. The average rate of discretion for homeless HAP scheme tenancies being applied was 29% above rent limits provided.

While I am satisfied that, in general, the HAP scheme continues to operate well in a challenging rental market, I will continue to keep the matter under review.

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